Phocas, bishop of Sinope (a city on the Black Sea in what is now Turkey), wasn't very lucky. In A.D. 117, during the Emperor Trajan's persecution of Christians, Roman soldiers suffocated him in the town's bath. But a fourth-century church built on his clifftop grave was even unluckier, says archaeologist Stephen Hill of the University of Warwick, England. It suffered two earthquakes, a flood, and a landslide — all during its construction. The site was apparently abandoned by the church, and seems to have become a medieval opium den. Now the archaeological site itself is staring into some bad luck. Hill told The National Post of Canada that the site "will survive into next year but its long-term future is not good."


Related Elsewhere



Stories referenced above include:

'Unluckiest church in the world' is found—Ananova (December 13, 2002)

Have something to add about this? See something we missed? Share your feedback here.

Our digital archives are a work in progress. Let us know if corrections need to be made.

Issue: