1,300-year-old Eucharistic breads unearthed in Turkey bear Christ as Sower and Maltese Cross—vivid testament to early Christian faith and daily devotion.
Newsroom (28/10/2025, Gaudium Press ) In a profound testament to the enduring devotion of early Christians, archaeologists at the Topraktepe Ancient City—identified with the Byzantine settlement of Irenopolis—have unearthed five carbonized bread loaves from the 7th or 8th century CE, each stamped with symbols of faith and sustenance. The find, announced by the Karaman Governor’s Office, includes one loaf bearing the image of Christ as “The Sower,” accompanied by a Greek inscription: “With gratitude to the Blessed Jesus.”
For believers, the artifact is more than archaeological treasure—it is a tangible echo of the Eucharist, the sacred rite instituted by Christ Himself: “This is my body, given for you” (Luke 22:19). The depiction of Jesus not as the majestic Pantocrator but as a humble farmer scattering seed resonates deeply with His parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1–23), symbolizing the spreading of the Gospel and the spiritual harvest of souls.
The four companion loaves are impressed with the Maltese Cross, a motif long associated with Christ’s redemptive sacrifice and commonly used on communion bread in early Christian liturgy. Preserved through sudden carbonization in a fire, these fragile relics have survived 1,300 years—miraculously intact, as if divinely safeguarded to speak across the centuries.
Conducted under the Karaman Museum Directorate with oversight from Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the dig continues to reveal how deeply Christianity permeated everyday life in Byzantine Anatolia. For a farming community dependent on the land, these breads embodied a sacred trust: that both body and soul were sustained by the same divine provision.
In an age when ancient faith is often reduced to ruins and relics, Topraktepe offers a living witness—simple bread, eternally marked by the cross and the countenance of Christ, still nourishing belief today.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Jerusalem Post and posta.com.tr
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