A hidden Byzantine church and a holy spring were recently discovered at an excavation site in the Sultanahmet District of Istanbul.
The site is located on Amiral Tadfil Street in the very heart of the ancient city of Constantinople beneath a building belonging to a former tourist agency known as “Kirkit Voyage.” There were excavations from the Istanbul Archaeological Museum from 1997 to 1998.
The treasures found there include a beautiful mosaic floor and a small subterranean chamber with a niche with both split apart into two different sectors—one on top of the other.
The upper section, which is underground, contains the mosaic floor, as well as the ruins of an unknown structure. The site is estimated to date back to the 5th or 6th century, and was very likely located near the vicinity of the Great Palace of Constantinople.