17/10/2025
A very recent archeological finding of "Eucharist".
A team of archaeologists has discovered at a site in southern Turkey five small round loaves — probably intended for the Eucharist — more than 1,300 years old, one of which features an image of Jesus Christ.
The discovery took place in Topraktepe, an ancient Roman and Byzantine center known as Irenopolis — the “City of Peace” — located in present-day Karaman province in the historical region of Anatolia.
Topraktepe — known in antiquity as Eirenepolis (Irenopolis), meaning “City of Peace” — was a bishopric center during the Roman and Byzantine periods.
The loaves, made with barley and dating from the sixth to eighth centuries, have been exceptionally well preserved thanks to their carbonization and the oxygen-free environment where they were found.
One of the loaves bears a Greek inscription reading “With Gratitude to Blessed Jesus”, accompanied by a depiction of Christ in an uncommon form known as the “Sower” or “Farmer Christ”.
Experts highlight that the “Farmer Christ” motif’s emergence in such an agriculturally active region reinforces the symbolic blend of faith, labor, and sustenance.
As one researcher noted, “This is not merely a religious image—it’s a visual theology of work.”
According to a statement from the Karaman Governorship, “These findings are among the best-preserved examples of early Christian bread ever identified in Anatolia.”
Source:
https://www.anatolianarchaeology.net/1300-year-old-communion-bread-unearthed-in-karaman-inscribed-with-gratitude-to-blessed-jesus/
https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2025/10/16/1300-year-old-possible-communion-loaf-bearing-image-of-christ-is-found-in-turkey/
