SECRETS OF THE DEAD: The Sunken Basilica

By Jennifer Robinson / Web Producer

Published October 10, 2023 at 11:18 AM PDT

Uncover the sunken remains of a 4th-century basilica in western Turkey.

Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV / Stream now with KPBS Passport + Encore Sunday, Dec. 15 at 10 p.m. on KPBS 2

2014, Turkey. A normal survey flight over Lake Iznik unexpectedly reveals the sunken remains a 4th century basilica. The discovery prompts scientists to probe the elusive history and geology behind the demise of the church that was built in ancient Nicaea - now known as Iznik.

Uncover the sunken remains of a 4th-century basilica in Turkey. Submerged beneath the waters of Lake Iznik for hundreds of years, the church could reveal crucial insights into the early days of Christianity. Join a team of international researchers as they travel back through time—and grapple with Turkey’s many earthquakes, which could sink the structure deeper at any moment.

When was the basilica destroyed? How did the basilica get swallowed up by Lake Iznik? And what happened to its community? Spanning the globe, this investigation follows a world-renowned team in this underwater excavation.

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Archaeologist Mustafa Şahin and geologist Julia de Sigoyer explore the sunken ruins of a 4th-century basilica in Turkey’s Lake Iznik. Of particular interest are the many tombs found along the inside of the building.

Thanks to exclusive access to the site, including critical aerial and underwater cinematography, and spectacular CGI, we time travel through the centuries, back to the Roman and Byzantine time, and at the foundation of Christianity itself on SECRETS OF THE DEAD "The Sunken Basilica."

Archaeologist Dominik Maschek, a specialist in the architecture of Late Roman Antiquity, completes a 3D reconstruction of the 4th-century basilica that once stood on the shores of Lake Iznik. For Mustafa Şahin, who led the excavation of the basilica’s sunken remains, it is a dream come true to bring the basilica back to life.

Watch On Your Schedule: This episode is available to stream with KPBS Passport, a benefit for members supporting KPBS at $60 or more yearly, using your computer, smartphone, tablet, Roku, AppleTV, Amazon Fire or Chromecast. Learn how to activate your benefit now.

Credits: A Les Batelières and Scope Pictures production, in coproduction with ORF, in association with The WNET Group, France Télévisions, CNRS Images, Viasat World Limited, FTV Prima, Focus/Mediaset. Written and directed by Pascal Guérin. Narrated by Jay O. Sanders. For Les Batelières: Julie Guesnon Amarante and Justine Henochsberg are executive producers. For Scope Pictures: Geneviève Lemal is producer. For SECRETS OF THE DEAD: Benjamin Phelps is supervising producer; Stephanie Carter is executive producer; Stephen Segaller is executive in charge. Original production funding was provided by the Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée (CNC), Procirep-ANGOA, and the Creative Europe MEDIA Programme of the European Union, with production support provided by ZED.

SECRETS OF THE DEAD: The Sunken Basilica

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