2,000-year-old one of world’s oldest churches unearthed in Armenia stuns explorers

One of the world’s oldest churches has been unearthed by archaeologists in Armenia. A joint team of archaeologists from the University of Münster and the Armenian Academy of Sciences announced this discovery.

The remains of the church discovered in Artaxata are claimed to be a sensational testimony to early Christianity in the country.

The find consists of an octagonal building with cruciform extensions. The team excavated parts of the previously unknown church and studied it using geophysical methods, according to the University of Münster.

Oldest archaeologically documented church in Armenia

Professor Achim Lichtenberger of the University of Münster stated that the 4th century building is the oldest archaeologically documented church in the country – sensational evidence for early Christianity in Armenia.

“Octagonal churches were unknown here until now, but we are very familiar with them from the Eastern Mediterranean region, where they first appeared in the 4th century AD,” said Dr Mkrtich H. Zardaryan of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia.

Typologically, the find corresponds to early Christian memorial buildings. In the cross-shaped extensions, the researchers discovered the remains of wooden platforms, which were radiocarbon dated to the mid-4th century AD, according to a press release .

Octagonal building

Archaeologists claimed that the octagonal building, around 30 meters in diameter, had a simple mortar floor and terracotta tiles. Findings of marble indicate that it was lavishly decorated with this material imported from the other places, according to archaeologists.

The German-Armenian team has been in Armenia since September. They will continue their excavations and hope to make new discoveries, including the question of to whom the church was dedicated.

Church was decorated lavishly with terracotta

The Armenian-German research team has been exploring the Hellenistic metropolis of Artaxata in the Ararat Plain for the past six years. The excavation project on the settlement archaeology of the ancient city is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, according to the press release.

Pieces of the original material discovered at the site of the ruins suggested the church was decorated lavishly with terracotta, likely imported from the Mediterranean. Remains of wooden platforms found along with the clay helped researchers confirm the building’s ancient origins by way of carbon dating, reported CBS News .

Archaeologists also highlighted the presence of Christian rulers in Armenia. They claimed that Gregory the Illuminator converted the Armenian king Tiridates III to Christianity in Artaxata in 301 AD, making Armenia the first Christian state in the world.

The medieval monastery of Khor Virap, just a stone’s throw from the now-discovered church, is a reminder of this tradition. Artaxata served as the capital of the Kingdom of Armenia, ruled by the Artaxiad and Arsacid dynasties. The city developed into an important metropolis in the Hellenistic period and was the capital of the Kingdom of Armenia for almost six centuries, according to the University of Münster.