After sixteen years of work, the protective roof over Sinop’s Balatlar Church came down this month, and the medieval walls met daylight for the first time since the project began. The 700-year-old building now stands dry and structurally sound.

“For 16 years, we restored the exterior, stopped water infiltration, repaired the wall paintings, and installed a protective roof,” said Professor Dr. Gülgün Köroğlu, head of the excavation and a faculty member at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, according to Haberler.

The excavation, funded by Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, entered its 16th season. Archaeologists uncovered 1,600-year-old mosaic floors, a Roman imperial bath, statue fragments, animal figurines, and hundreds of graves that reveal the layout of ancient Sinop. Köroğlu noted that the main complex began as a Roman bath, while later builders converted parts into a church that served four worship periods from the 13th century until 1924. After 1924, private owners used the property for tobacco drying and workshop activities until state authorities took control in 2010.

Freshly cleaned frescoes now display biblical scenes from both Testaments. Old Testament motifs include Abraham and the binding of Isaac, while other panels depict the devil’s defeat. “The scenes show the defeat of the devil,” said Köroğlu.

In the apse, Jesus appears enthroned between the archangels Michael and Gabriel. Below, Mary extends her arms “embracing humanity,” said Köroğlu. Clergymen carrying crosses stand nearby, and saints known for healing illnesses occupy prominent positions, matching Greek petitions for protection scratched into the plaster. Ship graffiti accompany many paintings. “Before long sea voyages, people prayed for safety and left ship graffiti as a souvenir,” Köroğlu told reporters.

With the murals stabilized, the team resumed excavating graves beneath the floor. Bio-archaeologists are sampling bone material to understand the community that worshiped here, while others catalog small finds tied to the site’s earlier role as a Roman bath.

The church’s strong Old Testament imagery has revived debate among scholars of contemporary Evangelical Christianity. OdaTV reported that many Evangelicals view Torah narratives as foreshadowing Jesus and regard Israel’s 1948 statehood as prophecy fulfilled; they see the return of Jews to their land as a prerequisite for the Messiah’s return, a stance that differs from traditions that filter Old Testament readings through church authority.

Köroğlu emphasized that the newly stabilized church will open for controlled public access once the Ministry of Culture and Tourism approves final measures. She said the project’s success depends on constant environmental monitoring of the fragile pigments and continued excavation of the Roman levels beneath the complex. For Sinop, a Black Sea port once central to maritime trade, recovering Balatlar’s murals restores a spiritual archive long hidden from view.

Original Article – Bible scenes emerge after 16-year church restoration | The Jerusalem Post