Archaeologists Unearthed The Nearly 2,000-Year-Old Remains Of Armenia’s Oldest Church

Night in Yerevan, Armenia from Cascade, Ararat mountain at the background
ARAMYAN - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only

The remains of a previously unknown church dating back almost 2,000 years have been unearthed in the ancient city of Artaxata. For several centuries, the once-thriving metropolis served as the capital of the Armenian kingdom.

A team of archaeologists from the University of Münster in Germany and the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia made the unique discovery.

The team excavated parts of the church and used geophysical methods to study it. The find consisted of an octagonal structure with cross-shaped extensions.

“The 4th-century building is the oldest archaeologically documented church in the country—sensational evidence for early Christianity in Armenia,” said Achim Lichtenberger, a professor at the University of Münster.

The timing of the construction of the church found in Artaxata coincides with the construction of Etchmiadzin Cathedral, also in Armenia. It is considered the world’s first cathedral and is often thought of as the oldest cathedral in the world.

The church’s architecture may help researchers learn more about Armenia’s history. Until now, archaeologists did not know that octagonal churches existed in Armenia.

They were common in the eastern Mediterranean region, where they first appeared in the 4th century A.D., according to Dr. Mkrtich H. Zardaryan of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia.

The new find resembled early Christian memorial buildings. The research team discovered the remains of wooden platforms in the church’s cross-shaped extensions. They were radiocarbon dated to the mid-4th century A.D.

The octagonal building was almost 100 feet in diameter and contained a mortar floor created mostly from sand and cement, as well as walls made with terracotta tiles, which was a clay that was produced in places like Greece and Italy at the time.

Night in Yerevan, Armenia from Cascade, Ararat mountain at the background

ARAMYAN – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only

Traces of marble indicated that it was lavishly decorated with the material likely imported from the Mediterranean.

“The building was heavily (probably intentionally) ruined, and therefore, we found only little of the original inventory,” Lichtenberger said. The most major finds were tiles, beams, nails, and marble decoration.

The team will continue to conduct excavations at the site in hopes of making new discoveries that will answer questions like who the church was dedicated to.

According to legend, Gregory the Illuminator converted the Armenian king Tiridates III to Christianity in Artaxata in what is believed to be 301 A.D. As a result, Armenia became the first official Christian state in the world.

Artaxata was ruled by the Artaxiad and Arsacid dynasties. During the Hellenistic period, it developed into an important commercial center. It also served as the capital of the kingdom of Armenia for nearly six centuries.

Since 2018, the research team has been exploring Artaxata in the Ararat Plain as part of the larger Armenian-German Artaxata Project, an initiative that was started to study the area in more detail.

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Emily  Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a ... More about Emily Chan

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