Archaeologists discover one of the oldest churches in the world.
Latest News
Reported by CBS News:
Archaeologists have unearthed the remains of an Armenian church dating back almost 2,000 years, making it the oldest structure of its kind in the country and one of the oldest in the world. Germany's University of Münster, which partnered with a team at the Armenian Academy of Sciences on the archaeological dig, announced the discovery Friday and called it "a sensational testimony to early Christianity in Armenia."
The joint team of archaeologists and researchers uncovered the building during excavations in Artaxata, once a thriving metropolis and commercial center, which for several centuries before and after the common era served as the capital of the ancient Armenian kingdom. Excavations were part of the larger Armenian-German Artaxata Project, an initiative started in 2018 to study the area.
Experts believe the church found recently in Artaxata was originally built in the 4th century A.D. That timing coincides with the construction of Etchmiadzin Cathedral, also in Armenia, which is considered the ancient kingdom's first cathedral and is often regarded as the oldest cathedral in the world.
"The building, which dates back to the 4th century, is the oldest archaeologically documented church in the country — a sensational testimony to early Christianity in Armenia," Achim Lichtenberger, a professor at the University of Münster who works on the archaeology project in Artaxata, said in a statement.
Mkrtich Zardaryan of the Armenian Academy of Sciences, who also worked on the project, noted separately that the architecture of the church may help researchers understand something new about Armenia's history. The church is shaped like an octagon, with rectangular chambers extending out from four of the sides. It is the first octagonal church known to exist in Armenia, Zardaryan said, adding that churches with that shape typically appear in the eastern Mediterranean and can similarly date back as far as the 4th century.
Read more here.
I knew that very early Christian history was found in Armenia, thanks for this further information on that history. The people of that little country are extremely proud of that history. That is a fascinating area since it's right at the crossroads of East & West. So much to learn !