10 oldest churches in the world

Nave of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem

List and description of 10 oldest churches in the world as well as other church buildings that, according to legends, are exceptionally old.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Restoration works of Jesus tomb in Aedicule in 2021

The most important Christian shrine in the place, where, reportedly, Jesus was crucified and buried. Built in 333 AD, the current building was constructed in 1048 AD.

Panagia Ekatontapyliani

Panagia Ekatontapyliani

Panagia Ekatontapyliani is a magnificent complex of a fortified church, baptistery, and chapels that are surrounded by a fortification wall. According to tradition, this might be the oldest existing church in Greece, initially constructed in 326 AD.

Church of the Nativity with the Nativity Grotto

Nave of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem

Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem might be the oldest continuously operating church in the world. It was first built around 326-330 AD or a bit later over the presumed birthplace of Jesus.

Assumption Cathedral in Kharkiv

Assumption Cathedral in Kharkiv

The former main church of Kharkiv. The current church was constructed in the Baroque style from 1771 to 1783. The 89.5 m tall bell tower was built in Neoclassicism style in 1821-1841.

Qirqbize church

Qirqbize house church

One of the oldest church buildings in the world, a ruin of a possible early 4th-century church in the abandoned Byzantine village of Qirqbize.

Etchmiadzin Cathedral

Etchmiadzin Cathedral

The main church in Armenia and, possibly, the oldest cathedral in the world. The first church was built, reportedly, in 301 – 303 AD, but the construction of the current church was started in 483 AD.

Riga Cathedral

Riga Cathedral

The largest medieval church in the Baltic states. It was constructed in 1211 and extended in later times. The current Baroque tower was constructed in 1775.