The place of worship, dating from the 4th century AD, was found in Artaxata. The discovery is the result of joint work of archaeologists from the University of Münster and the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia. For experts, it is also a “significant” find because the kingdom was the first in history “to adopt Christianity as its official religion”.
Yerevan (AsiaNews) – A group of scholars recently announced the discovery of the remains of a fourth-century church in Artaxata, the ancient capital of the kingdom of Armenia, which, coincidentally occurred when Pope Francis appointed the Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenians Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian as a new member of the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches,
For experts, the building represents one of the oldest places of worship in the world and the oldest in the area where the kingdom once ruled, which is also the first in history to have embraced Christianity as an official religion.
The remains of the octagonal-shaped church were unearthed in Artaxata, the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Armenia, by a joint team of archaeologists from the University of Münster (Germany) and the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, who have been working at the site since September.
The discovery “consists of an octagonal building with cruciform extensions” that “corresponds to early Christian memorial buildings,” reads the press release by the German university.
The researchers also found fragments of marble that show that it was “lavishly decorated” with valuable imported materials. “In the cross-shaped extensions, the researchers discovered the remains of wooden platforms, which were radiocarbon dated to the mid-4th century CE,” the statement goes on to say.
This dating enabled the researchers to determine that the structure “is the oldest archaeologically documented church in the country – sensational evidence for early Christianity in Armenia,” said Prof Achim Lichtenberger of the University of Münster.
The now-ruined city of Artaxata, located on a hilltop in southern Armenia along the border with Turkey, was founded in 176 BC, becoming “an important metropolis,” especially during the Hellenistic period, and ultimately served as “the capital of the Kingdom of Armenia for almost six centuries,” the researchers said.
The same hill, which boasts spectacular views of Mount Ararat, just across the Turkish border, is home to Khor Virap, a still-active ancient monastery that is also a place of pilgrimage.
This is a “significant discovery,” said classical and biblical archaeologist and religious historian Jodi Magness, professor at the University of Chapel Hill in North Carolina (United States), speaking to the Times of Israel.
“The discovery of this church makes sense since the Kingdom of Armenia was the first state to adopt Christianity as its official religion in the early fourth century,” she explained. At that time, the “Armenians established a presence in Jerusalem, which they have maintained until today.”
The Kingdom of Armenia, then a client state of the Roman Empire, formally became Christian in AD 301, when, “according to legend, Gregory the Illuminator converted the Armenian king Tiridates III to Christianity in Artaxata.”
All this occurred well before the Council of Nicaea in AD 325, which codified and streamlined the various dogmas of Christianity and, above all, even before the Edict of Milan in 313 with which the Roman emperor Constantine outlawed the persecution of Christians and authorised their religious practices.
For this reason, Armenia is considered the first Christian kingdom and the Armenian Orthodox Church is one of the oldest Christian denominations. The country is also home to a significant number of Armenian Catholics, who have distinct traditions and are loyal to the pope and the Church of Rome.