The place of worship, dating from the 4th century, discovered in Artaxata. A discovery resulting from the joint work of archaeologists from the University of Münster and the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia. For experts, this is a “significant” event also because the kingdom was the first in history “to adopt Christianity as an official religion.”
Yerevan () – In the days in which Pope Francis appoints the Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenians Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian as a new member of the dicastery for the Eastern Churches, a group of scholars announces the discovery of the remains of a church from the 16th century IV in Artaxata, the ancient capital of the kingdom of Armenia. For experts, the building represents one of the oldest places of worship found in the world and the oldest in the area where the kingdom was located, which is also the first in history to embrace Christianity as an official religion.
The remains of the octagonal church were unearthed in Artaxata, the former capital of the kingdom of Armenia, by a joint team of archaeologists from the University of Münster and the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, who have been working at the site since September. The discovery “consists of a structure with cruciform extensions” that “corresponds to the commemorative buildings of the first Christians,” the German university explained in a note. The building was characterized by “a diameter of about 30 meters” and had “a simple floor of mortar and terracotta tiles.”
Researchers also found marble fragments that indicate how “richly decorated” it was with valuable imported materials. “In the cross-shaped extensions, researchers discovered remains of wooden platforms that have been radiocarbon dated” and would date “from the middle of the 4th century AD,” the statement continues. This dating allowed the researchers to establish that the structure “is the oldest archaeologically documented church in the country and sensational proof of early Christianity in Armenia,” as Achim Lichtenberger, a professor at the University of Münster, points out.
The city of Artaxata, now in ruins, located on a hill in the south of the country next to the border with Turkey, was founded in 176 BC and developed over time to become “an important metropolis”, especially during the Hellenistic period. A constant growth, the researchers explain, to the point of becoming the “capital of the kingdom of Armenia for almost six centuries.” On the same hill, which enjoys a spectacular view of Mount Ararat, just across the Turkish border, is Khor Virap, an ancient monastery that is still active and is also a pilgrimage site.
Interviewed by Times of Israel, classical archaeologist, biblical scholar and historian of religions Jodi Magness, professor at the University of Chapel Hill, in North Carolina (USA), also speaks of a “significant discovery.” “The discovery of this church – he adds – makes sense, since the Armenian kingdom was the first State to adopt Christianity as an official religion at the beginning of the 4th century.” And in the same period, he concludes, the Armenians established “a presence in Jerusalem, which they have maintained to this day.” The kingdom, then a satellite state linked to the Roman Empire, formally converted to Christianity in 301, when, “according to legend, Saint Gregory the Illuminator converted the Armenian king Tiridates III to Christianity at Artaxata.”
These events took place long before the Council of Nicea of 325, which codified and rationalized the various dogmas of Christianity, but, above all, before the Edict of Milan of 313, with which the Roman emperor Constantine outlawed the persecution of Christians and authorized his worship. For this reason, Armenia is considered the first Christian kingdom and the Armenian Orthodox Church is one of the oldest Christian confessions, in addition to the presence of a significant number of Armenian Catholics, of different traditions and faithful to the Pope and the Church of Rome.
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