Story of Jesus and Saint Peter

Jesus in Capernaum

In Jesus’ time Capernaum (Kefar Nahum (כפר נחום) or “the village of Nahum”) was a small fishing and market village at the Sea of Galilee. It was located on an international road between Egypt and Mesopotamia.

As Jesus was not too successful as a preacher in his native Nazareth, he moved to Capernaum, a lively village. He frequently preached in the local synagogue – an almost neighboring structure to the present-day church. Over a few years he befriended several locals who today are well known around the Christian world as apostles: a local tax-collector Matthew (Levi) and also fishermen brothers James and John, as well as two more now-famous brothers Peter and Andrew. Jesus healed mother-in-law of Peter and, of course, was an honored guest in his family. In Capernaum Jesus was a lot more successful, attracting many (but by far not all) people with his charisma and devotion.

Saint Peter

Simeon (later renamed by Jesus into Cephas – Aramaic ‘stone’ and then transformed into Latin ‘Petros’ – also ‘stone’) lived in the nearby Bethsaida village, while his wife came from Capernaum.

The meeting with Jesus transformed the life of this sturdy, stubborn and strong man. From a simple fisherman he turned into the most significant messenger of Christianity after Jesus, the first leader of the Christian church. During his later activities Saint Peter showed good diplomatic skills and relentlessly served to the newly established religion.

Saint Peter is considered to be the first bishop of Rome, the first pope. Surprisingly, there is no testimony that Saint Peter has ever visited Rome. By tradition, Christians believe that he was crucified in Rome at Vatican Hill where St Peter’s Basilica, the main Christian church, stands today.

The history of the “St. Peter’s House” in Capernaum

The ancient house

Thus, the house in Capernaum was not really Saint Peter’s house but a house of his relatives – mother-in-law. There are discussions whether Saint Peter lived in this house himself (Mark 1:29), but he certainly was frequently there. There are also accounts that Jesus lived there for some years as well.

This was a simple house that was built at the main street of the village in (most likely) the early 1st century AD. Remnants of the house were rediscovered in 1968.

The house was a simple structure with drywalls of locally available basalt stone. Roof was made from tree branches that were covered with straw and then with soil.

In the first half of the 1st century AD (conservatively assumed 50 AD) the eastern courtyard in this complex of structures was transformed into a large, roofed room. The room seems to be the only one in Capernaum which was covered with a plaster and this plaster was ornamented with paintings. This room and the whole complex of buildings around it is called now: Insula Sacra. The room faced the inner courtyard of St. Peter’s house and was surrounded by other structures, mainly living houses.

Some original parts of the foundation of the house can be seen up to this day.

The ancient churches

By the 3rd century Capernaum was almost abandoned – just a few poor fishermen lived there. The village from time to time was resettled and then abandoned again.

In the late 4th century the complex of the buildings was turned into a more distinct shrine.

The 6.45 by 5.8 m large room still was the main shrine and the complex was enclosed with a wall whose perimeter was 112.55 m. The shrine got a polychrome floor and plaster walls with paintings. By this time numerous inscriptions were left by pilgrims as well. According to a written report by a visitor at the end of the 4th century, the outer walls of the original St. Peter’s mother-in-law house still were preserved.

A larger church – The Octagonal Church was built in the second half of the 5th century. It was an interesting octagonal structure inside the walls of the former structure. In its center was a smaller octagon preserving the sacred room of the first church.

It is possible that the Octagonal Church was demolished during the invasion of Persians in the early 7th century.

Contemporary church

In 1838 the site and ruins if the church were rediscovered.

Today the church is a part of a Franciscan monastery. It is housed in a modern structure that was built in 1989-1990, standing on eight pillars to preserve the valuable ancient remnants under it. Through a glass floor can be seen remnants of all three ancient structures.

References

1. Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Madain Project. Accessed on June 20, 2023.
2. Jonathan Lipnick, Capernaum By The Sea, Israel Institute of Biblical Studies. Accessed on August 2, 2023.
3. Leen Ritmeyer, Capernaum’s House Church, Ritmeyer Archaeological Design. Accessed on August 5, 2023.

St. Peter’s Church in Capernaum is included in the following article:

History

Antiquity

The highest mountain in Cyprus is the 1 952 m high Mount Olympus in Troodos Mountains. But in earlier times there was another Mount Olympus – the present-day Stavrovouni Mountain which is some 700 m high.

A shrine on the top of this mountain has existed since antiquity. Before the coming of Christianity, there was a paganic shrine, possibly a temple to Aphrodite. Two ancient limestone statues have been found in the area of the monastery.

Pilgrimage of Saint Helena and the Holy Cross

Saint Helena, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine I after the Ecumenical Synod in Nicaea (325 AD) went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. By that time she was 78 years old, but, it seems, Saint Helena was full of energy and definitely had an exciting journey. In 326 AD in Golgotha she, reportedly, found three crosses from cypress wood – the legendary crosses where Jesus and two thieves were crucified.

Her purpose was to bring the cross of the Good Thief (one of the two other crucified men) together with a piece of the Holy Cross to Constantinople.

The Holy Cross itself was left in Jerusalem and even captured by the Persians in 614 AD and recovered to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 630 AD.

There is also a version of the legend: Saint Helen ordered to split the Holy Cross into two crosses vertically and brought one half with her with an aim to bring it to Constantinople. During her journey, she was ordered by an angel to leave the pieces of the Holy Cross in several locations.

An interesting version exists also regarding the two other crosses. As it was impossible to find out which was the cross to the left of Jesus and which – to the right of him, Saint Helena ordered to exchange of the horizontal parts of the crosses.

Miracles in Cyprus

According to the 15th-century Cypriot chronicler Leontios Makhairas, due to a storm, the expedition of Saint Helena made a stop in Cyprus.

At this time the island experienced a terrible drought. Saint Helena had a vision during this storm: an angel appeared and ordered her to leave the peace of the Holy Cross in Cyprus as well as to set up a monastery on the island. Well, this journey had to be really tough, because, according to other chroniclers, she suffered a storm near Paros Island and had to stay there as well. As a result, another very old church, reportedly, was founded by her there – Panagia Ekatontapyliani.

But, in Cyprus, according to the chronicles, a wonder happened. The cross of the Good Thief miraculously was transferred to the summit of the mountain and a strong light came from the peak of the mountain. The cross was levitating in the air unsupported. Helena tried to get the cross back for further transportation – but without much success. Thus she decided to leave the cross there and ordered the construction of a small chapel there.

Thus, sometime around 327-329 AD the history of Stavrovouni Monastery started. This might be one of the oldest Christian monasteries of the world, although Monastery of Saint Anthony in Egypt (beginnings in 311 AD) and some other monasteries in the present-day area of Syria and Israel might be older.

Medieval times

Stavrovouni Monastery was an important religious center since its beginnings in the 4th century. Most likely, it gave the present name of the mountain – “Mountain of Cross”.

Stavrovouni Monastery is mentioned in many medieval chronicles – many pilgrims visited it on their way to the Holy Land. Thus, Abbot Daniel from Kievan Rus traveled there in 1106 and described the relic of the Holy Cross as a levitating object.

In 1192 – 1489 the monastery was managed by the Benedictines.

According to later writings, the cross of the Good Thief was captured by Mameluks in 1426 but returned to the monastery some years later in a miraculous way. Later the cross was lost anyway and has not been found anymore. In 1570 started the dark times of the Turkish occupation with massacres, plunders, and poverty. During the 16th-19th centuries, the monastery was almost abandoned. Nevertheless, for a long time, some hermits still lived in the monastery.

Modern times

In 1878 the island was sold to the British. All the medieval structures were destroyed by fire in 1888 and the present-day buildings are much younger.

During the times of the British dominion, in 1889 the activities in the monastery were restarted by the Elder Dionysios A’ and gradually the monastery regained its importance and now is a spiritual center of Cyprus. Since the middle of the 20th century, Stavrovouni Monastery has organized the revival of other abandoned historical monasteries in Cyprus.

In 1976 the monks from the Turkish-occupied part of Cyprus, from the Monastery of Apostolos Varnavas found refuge in Stavrovouni Monastery.

Only in 1983 in the monastery was installed electricity and water supply – before this, the monks used rainwater that was collected in four large cisterns.

Description

Today the monastery is completely renovated. The small church in it has restored frescoes and icons that depict the legendary history of the monastery. Medieval architecture can be seen just in some places, for example, in the western support wall that has elements of Gothic architecture.

Under the church is a crypt where the remnants of deceased monks were brought three years after their death. There was also a secret crypt where the monks hid during the attacks. They stored in this crypt the valuables of the monastery as well. Today it serves as the Chapel of Saint Helena and Constantine.

A small piece of the original Cross is in the monastery up to this day, encased in a silver, cross-shaped reliquary. Other significant relics are one of the Holy Nails and a part of the rope used to tie Jesus to the Cross.

Monks of the monastery are known as masters of traditional icon painting and the creation of frescoes, as well as the production of frankincense. The monastery has some 30 monks in it and has a very strict rule of conduct. Women are not allowed to enter the main part of the monastery to retain the isolation of monks. It is also forbidden to take pictures in the buildings of the central monastery, while it is allowed into the All Saints Church.

From the monastery opens a beautiful view across most of Cyprus.

References

1. Stavronouni, purga.org. Accessed on April 23, 2023.

Stavrovouni Monastery is included in the following article:

Panagia Ekatontapyliani is a beautiful part of the immense wealth of cultural heritage in the Cyclades. This is an amazing church complex, well researched and, at the same time not giving up its riddles that easily.

History of Panagia Ekatontapyliani

• Before the 4th century – most likely, at the site of the current church, stood a Greek shrine. There are parts of the former shrine in the church up to this day, including a marble relief with two satyrs, most likely a part of the temple for Dionysus.
• 326 AD (?) – mother of Roman emperor Constantine, Helena, departed on a pilgrimage to Palestine. According to a single source of a much later medieval author, due to a storm, Helena had to make a stop on Paros Island. Reportedly, she gave the promise to build a church there if her pilgrimage would be successful. There is a slight possibility that at the site of the current chapel of Agios Nikolaos (part of the church complex) was a small chapel where she gave this promise – but there are no sources to prove this. Nevertheless, according to tradition, this is the year when the church was built.
• Some years after 326 AD – a possible time when emperor Constantine built the church already after the death of his mother Helena. This was a three-aisled basilica with a wooden roof.
• 6th century AD – rebuilding of the church in the time of Emperor Justinian, possibly after the fire. The dome was added.
• Later times until the 18th century – the church gradually grew but, also suffered from attacks. It was damaged, for example, during the attacks of Hayreddin Barbarossa in 1537 and Mustafa Kaplan Pasha in 1666. Rebuildings gradually changed their Byzantine forms.
• 16th century – the first time when the present name of the church – Ekatontapiliani and, also Katapoliani – was mentioned in written sources. Ekatontapiliani means “the church with 100 doors”, but the origin of this name is unclear because the church and the whole fortification do not have many gates or doors.
• 1733 – strong earthquake damaged the buildings, and part of the dome collapsed. Later rebuilding to a large extent changed it in order to reinforce the valuable building from future calamities.

  

• 1959-1966 – under the guidance of Anastassios Orlandos the church was reconstructed to its previous, Justinian design.
• 1992 – Ekatontapiliani was declared a pan-Hellenic shrine by the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece. It is also one of the most important Greek destinations for the Marian pilgrimage.

Description

Panagia Ekatontapyliani is a whole complex of buildings. The most imposing building is the main church with Agios Anargiros, Agios Philippos, and Osia Theoktisti chapels. Valuable features in the beam (backside) of the church are the ciborium – a marble structure over the altar and synthronon – an interesting amphitheater along the wall of the bema.

Outside the church are Agios Nikolaos, Agia Theodosia, and Agios Dimitrios chapels. The chapel of Agios Nikolaos might contain the oldest extant parts of the Christian shrine from the 4th century AD.

There is also a separate building south from it – a baptistery. The baptistery has similar age to the age of the church – it was built in the 4th century AD. This is a smaller church with a cross-shaped marble basin where older people were baptized. The baptizing of infants started later, in the times of Justinian.

In the complex are also cells of the monks. A fortification wall surrounds the complex of buildings.

Panagia Ekatontapyliani is an outstanding monument of Byzantine architecture. The discussion about its age will continue, but, it definitely is very old, one of the oldest churches in this region.

References

1. The church of Panagia Ekatontapiliani in Parikia of Paros, About Paros. Accessed on December 19, 2022.

Panagia Ekatontapyliani is included in the following article:

The ancient town of Bethlehem is like a myth – its name is known to everyone in the Christian world through Christmas carols and sermons in the church.

This town exists in reality and the history of Bethlehem started millennia ago. But the most important event in the history of Bethlehem is the purported birth of reportedly, the most significant person in world history: Jesus.

We can not be sure whether Jesus was born there indeed – Nazareth is another credible location. Nevertheless, above the small rock-cut chamber, where he, according to a legend, was born, was built one of the oldest churches in the world – Church of the Nativity.

Throughout the centuries around this key location for Christianity was built a whole complex of structures – other churches and monasteries. It is one of the most important locations for Christian pilgrimage.

History of the Church of the Nativity

The history of this outstanding structure is very complex. There are numerous written sources since ancient times but, unfortunately, this multitude of writings is confusing and frequently, contradictory.

Beginnings

• Between 6 and 4 BC – according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, in a cave (most likely – man-made) on the outskirts of Bethlehem town was born Jesus. Joseph and Mary, reportedly, came there to participate in the Roman-organized census, as Joseph was born in this town. There is a possibility that Jesus was born in Nazareth instead (indirect hint at this by the earliest gospel – Gospel of Mark). But, if he was born in Bethlehem, he and his family did not stay there for long. Nevertheless, the tradition of the Nativity is linked to Bethlehem and this tradition has become one of the most important elements of Christianity.
• Time period until 320ies – already the early church considered Bethlehem to be the birthplace of Jesus and the birth cave – Nativity Grotto – was well known among Christians.
• 135 – in an attempt to wipe out the story of Jesus’ birth, Emperor Hadrian orders the creation of the shrine for Adonis with a sacred grove. Nevertheless, this does not replace the Biblical myth among believers.

The first church

• 325-326 – in search of Christian relics, Helena, mother of Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, made the pilgrimage to Palestine. Based on her finds, the construction of the first official churches (“Helena churches”) was started in several places, including Bethlehem.
• Around 326 – the time period between 330 and 333 – upon the order of Constantine the Great a basilica was built at the purported site of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. The church was first mentioned in 333. This was a sumptuous structure, but, nevertheless, the main attraction of multiple pilgrims there was the Nativity Grotto under it.
• 384 – 420 – Saint Jerome lived in Bethlehem and translated the Bible into Latin and created numerous influential treatises on Christian morality. According to a legend, St. Jerome often meditated in the rock-cut chamber near the birthplace of Jesus – now this chamber is named St. Jerome’s Cave. In his time the first monastery was built near the church.
• Sixth century, possibly in 529 or in 556 – the first basilica, most likely, was destroyed by fire during the violent Samaritan revolts. Nevertheless, it is considered that the Church of the Nativity is the oldest continuously used church building in the world: the location, planning, and some parts of the church – the mosaic floor below the current floor and some parts of the walls – have been preserved.

The Justinian church

• Second half of the 6th century, before 565 – the present-day church was built in the times of Emperor Justinian. This church building in general followed the plan of the previous one but is larger.
• 614 – nearly all the churches were demolished during the Persian invasion of Palestine. Church of the Nativity was spared by a chance. According to a legend, the commander of the Persian army, Shahrbaraz, ordered to keep the church intact thanks to a large mosaic that depicted the Three Magi in Zoroastrian garbs.
• 1009 – caliph al-Hakim ordered the destruction of Christian sanctuaries in the region. Church of the Nativity again was spared by luck, as it was an important shrine for Muslims as well.

Time of Crusades

• 1100 – 1131 – the church was the primary coronation church for Crusader kings. Due to frequent warfare in the region, the church was reinforced.
• 1165-1169 – restoration and redecoration. The columns and walls of the church were covered with paintings and mosaics. Church of the Nativity was regarded to be the most beautiful structure in the Holy Land.
• 1187 – Jerusalem and vicinities, including Bethlehem, fell to Saladin, Sultan of Egypt. Church did not suffer and ceremonies in the church continued from 1192.
• 1244 – the attack of Turks devastated the church but the structure of the building persisted. Before the attack, the church treasures were hidden underground and rediscovered only in 1863.

Newer times

• Late 13th century – the dilapidation of the church started, and many of the formerly ornate interior details were lost.
• 1347 – the Franciscan order got the ownership of the former monastery building at the church, north of it. To a large extent, they controlled the complex of the Church of the Nativity until 1637.
• 16th century – early 17th century – the decay of the church during the rule of the Turkish Empire. To keep mounted horsemen (and also cattle) out from the main part of the church, the main entrance was walled up, leaving a small entrance – the “Door of Humility”. This 130 cm high and 78 cm wide door is the main entrance up to this day.
• 1621 – Armenian monastery was founded south from the main courtyard of the church.
• 1637 – second half of the 17th century – the Greek Orthodox church gained control over the church and the renovations of the interior were done.

  

• 1757 – period of renewed Franciscan control over the church ended this year and the Greek Orthodox church gained full control. Extensive renovation and rebuilding ensued.
• 1834, 1836, 1837 – series of earthquakes demolished the church tower and damaged the church itself. In 1842 restoration works were done by Greek monks. Among other works, the original mosaic floor was covered with soil and massive flagstones.
• October 1847 – the silver star that marked the purported site of the birth of Jesus, was removed by Greek monks: they saw this Catholic-made artifact as blasphemy to this sacred place.
• 1852 – Napoleon III forced the Ottoman Turks to return the silver star, creating irritation among the Orthodox Christians and deteriorating the relations between Ottoman and Russian Empire.
• April 2002 – around 50 armed Palestinians took refuge in the church from the Israel Defense Forces. This lasted for a month.
• 2013-2020 – extensive restoration of the church.

Description of the church

Bethlehem town is located some 10 km south of the Jerusalem Old City.

Nativity Grotto and other rock-cut caves

The town is located in limestone hills. Grottoes were hewn in the limestone by people, most likely, for household needs. It is possible that some caves formed there in a natural way as well.

Nativity Grotto has a rectangular shape with an east-west alignment. Since the possible birth of Jesus, it has been transformed and adorned. Now it can be accessed from two sides – above the former entrance is the altar.

The Nativity Grotto is a part of a network of rock-cut passages and rooms. A passage leads to St. Jerome’s Cave under the St. Catherine church (another church next to the Church of the Nativity). This passage usually is closed.

The niche, where, supposedly, was born Jesus, is marked with a silver star with 14 points. In the middle of the star is a hole where one can reach the original stone where Mary gave birth.

This is one of the oldest Christian pilgrimage destinations in the world – even the Cenacle, the site of the Last Supper and several more important locations in Jerusalem were recognized as sites of pilgrimage only around the 4th century AD.

There are other shrines in cave rooms – the Chapel of Saint Joseph, and the Chapel of the Innocents, in the passages are rock-cut tombs and remnants of many deceased people.

The church and monasteries

The church was built over the Nativity Grotto to provide the location for religious rituals in this sacred place. This is the oldest surviving church in the Holy Land.

Some details of the original 4th-century church survive up to this day. The mosaic floor from 330 AD is covered with flagstones, but there is an opening to see a part of it.

Main parts of the church are the altar part with the Nativity Grotto under it and the nave that is divided into four rows of pillars. In total, there are 44 pillars. During the Middle Ages, 28 columns were covered with frescoes and inscriptions but most of these drawings have faded. Likewise, the walls of the church were covered with mosaics. Today just a few fragments of this former splendor remain.

In the altar part is a chancel and on both sides of it are stairways that lead down to the Nativity Grotto.

Over the centuries this church has grown into an enormous complex of buildings with three monasteries: Roman Catholic (Franciscan) to the north, Armenian Apostolic to the southwest, and Greek Orthodox to the southeast. Accordingly, the church is governed by the authorities of these monasteries, as well as the Coptic Orthodox and Syriac Orthodox.

Next to the Church of the Nativity is another church – the Catholic Church of St. Catherine. Both churches are facing the main square of Bethlehem – Manger Square.

References

1. Qustandi Shomali, Church of the Nativity: History & Structure. Accessed on November 12, 2022.
2. Bethlehem – Basilica of the Nativity. Accessed on November 12, 2022.

Church of the Nativity is included in the following article:

Dead Cities of Northern Syria

There is a little-known, amazing cultural landscape in the north-western part of Syria: extensive ruins of some 40 (!) larger and numerous smaller settlements. There in the 1st – 10th centuries AD lived thousands of prosperous people, who, most likely, benefited from the international trade through this region.

Around the 6th century AD the power of the Byzantine Empire gradually decreased and trade routes changed. This area was abandoned around the 10th century AD but the ruins of numerous magnificent buildings persist up to this day. Many of these buildings have been preserved very well and provide valuable information about life in the late Antiquity – Byzantine periods.

In these Dead Cities are located several very old church buildings from the 4th century AD and the oldest known church there is the Qirqbize church.

Description of the Qirqbize church

Qirqbize church is located next to a large villa. The research results of this building have been published by two researchers – Georges Tchalenko and Christine Strube – and the conclusions about the building differ among them.

It is possible that this is a building that was specifically built to be a church by the owner of the private villa next to it. Thus, it might be not a true house church. House churches are rebuilt former houses similar to the world’s oldest known existing church building – Dura-Europos house church.

The villa close to this church building was, most likely, built earlier, in the 3rd century. It is a fairly large house that (by its size) would fit in a contemporary town, and, most likely, belonged to an affluent family.

The church was built sometime in the first third of the 4th century AD (according to the analysis of Tchalenko) or in the late 4th – early 5th century (according to Strube). It seems, from the outside this building was similar to other villas in the village, thus, it still was similar to house churches.

This church has simple planning that by some researchers is named aula ecclesiae: it has a simple, larger hall.

The architecture of the Qirqbize church has many similarities to the temples of other religions. It has bema – an elevated platform near the middle of the hall where the preacher was standing. This is characteristic of Greek temples and later Roman temples and also some 50 ancient churches in the Dead Cities of Northern Syria. There is also an ornamented lectern – a stone throne for a book. It, presumably, was used for sacred scriptures that were read to the local Christians during their gatherings. Analysis of the ornamentation shows that it, most likely, was placed there in the 5th century AD.

References

1. Georges Tchalenko, Villages antiques de la Syrie du Nord, Paris, 1953-1958, ASIN: B0014P0UBY.

Qirqbize church is included in the following article:

The main religious center of Armenian Christianity is Etchmiadzin Cathedral – an outstanding building that is more than 1700 years old! This ancient structure serves as a pilgrimage center for Armenians worldwide.

History of Etchmiadzin Cathedral

Church was built in Vagharshapat – an ancient settlement that has existed without interruption since the Stone Age. The oldest mention of Vagharshapat is from the times of Urartian King Rusa II (685-645 BC). Vagharshapat has various names: Kuarlini, Artimed, Vardgesavan, and Etchmiadzin. The last name was the official name of the city from 1945 to 1995 and is frequently used up to this day.

• 120-330 AD – Vagharshapat was the capital of the Kingdom of Armenia (with some interruptions linked to the Persian occupation). Most likely, Christianity was well present in Armenia at this time (and even earlier), competing with the Armenian tradition of Zoroastrianism.
• 301 AD – during the reign of Trdat III (Tiridates III) Christianity became the state religion in Armenia. Thus Armenia was the first state in the world that became Christian. Trdat III (Tiridates III) was a highly educated king of Armenia who grew up in Rome. After driving out the Persian invaders, he reinstated Vagharshapat as the state capital in 298 AD. An additional detail that illustrates the new religion’s powerful message is the fact that St Gregory the Illuminator – the main inspirer of the new faith in Armenia – was the son of the killer of Trdat’s father. Initially, Tiridates III put Gregory in a prison – in a deep pit in Khor Virap where the young man spent some 12 – 14 years. Sister of Tiridates III – Khosrovidukht – persuaded him to release Gregory. Both men decided to leave the dramatic past behind.

  

• 301-303 AD – in order to symbolize the transition of Armenia to Christianity, the main temple for the new religion – a cathedral – was built in the Armenian capital Vagharshapat over the site of the former pagan temple. Meanwhile, St Gregory the Illuminator continued his missionary activities in the mainly Zoroastrian country, and, simultaneously or slightly later, several more churches were constructed. Armenians, similar to other cultures later, incorporated their ancient traditions into the new religion, creating a unique branch of Christianity – the Armenian Apostolic Church. These events marked the split of Armenia from the influence of the Persian cultural realm. At the same time, Armenians had also to fight against the Roman Empire in 312-313 AD.
• Around 363 – the Etchmiadzin Cathedral was almost completely destroyed by Persians.
• 370ies – the cathedral was partly rebuilt.
• 450 – a fire temple was built inside the cathedral in an attempt to reintroduce Zoroastrianism in Armenia.
• 483/484 AD – in the site of the first church a new one was constructed by Vahan I Mamikonian – a local governor of Persian Armenia. Basically, this is the contemporary Etchmiadzin Cathedral, although later the structure was significantly rebuilt. The northern and eastern walls of the current church are from the 5th century AD.
• Further centuries – the cathedral was gradually neglected, and the center of the Armenian Church was moved to Dvin.
• 1441 – the cathedral regained the high title of catholicosate, e.g. this is the main church building in Armenia.
• 1441-1443 – renovation works of the cathedral.
• 1604 – Persians under Shah Abbas I plundered the cathedral, and a major part of Armenians were deported to Persian provinces, mainly New Julfa in Isfahan.

  

• 1627 – Second half of the 17th century – major reconstruction and extension of the building, belfries were constructed. Learning from the past, a wall was built around the cathedral and it became similar to a fort.
• 1868 – sacristy was constructed at the east end of the Etchmiadzin Cathedral.
• 1916-1918 – the cathedral became an important center for refugees – Armenians who escaped the genocide in Turkey. Turkish forces endangered Etchmiadzin as well but the Armenian forces successfully repelled them.
• 1955-1956, 1959 – archaeological excavations led by Alexander Sahinian, renovations of the church. The fundament and planning of the original church were explored.
• 2000 – 2003, 2021 – now – renovations of the cathedral.

Values

Planning

The planning of Etchmiadzin Cathedral was unusual for its time. Over the centuries there were numerous rebuildings but the planning principle from the 5th century has been retained: the central part of the cathedral is a large cubicle with four piers inside, dividing this cubicle into nine square compartments. A massive tower with a pyramidal roof over it was added in the 17th century.

The origin of this planning had roots in the rich architectural heritage of this region – the church planning, most likely, was inspired by the architecture of Zoroastrian fire temples as well as Roman classical mausoleums.

It seems that this planning approach influenced also the planning of some early medieval church buildings in Europe as well, including the famous Palatine Chapel of Aachen in Germany. Armenians assume that the influence is even larger: they consider that the worldwide tradition of cruciform churches with a dome/tower in the center originated in Etchmiadzin.

Otherwise the exterior of this ancient church is not that extraordinary – the structure, in general, is rather ascetic and it is also not especially large. An interesting feature, though, is a relief of Paul the Apostle and Saint Thecla, which, most likely, was created in the early 4th century and belong to the world’s most ancient values of the Christian art.

The medieval cemetery around the Etchmiadzin Cathedral has many ornate khachkars – traditional Armenian stone crosses.

Frescoes

A special value is the original paintings of the interior – frescoes. These were painted by Naghash Hovnatan in 1712-1721. Paintings were made directly on the surface of the marble inside the dome and the main apse.

Further frescoes were created by Hakob and Harutyun Hovnatanyans (first half of the 18th century) and Hovnatan Hovnatanyan (second half of the 18th century), Mkrtum, and Hakob Hovnatanyans in the 19th century.

Hovnatayan family had an outstanding role in the history of Armenian culture: they were outstanding poets, singers, and, above all, painters.

References

1. The Armenian Church, the official site. Accessed on May 29, 2022.

Etchmiadzin Cathedral is included in the following article:

Aqaba – the ancient trade city

Similar to most of the settlements in the Near East, the history of Aqaba is millennia-long. Its history may have started some 6000 years ago, during the Chalcolithic (Copper) Age. And this place had its strategic benefits exactly in these times – near it was a find of copper.

Throughout the millennia Aqaba saw rise and fall of importance but starting from the Hellenistic period (around 300 BC) it was an important trade center for the whole region.

This status further strengthened during the Roman times (the direct rule of the Roman Empire was established in 106 AD). At the same time – Aqaba (then named – Aila) was close to the outer borders of the Roman Empire and belonged to the Nabatean sphere of cultural influence.

The church

Roman Aqaba Project

An interesting find was made during the Roman Aqaba Project that was started in 1994. The aim of this project was to find and investigate the Roman Aila City – its location was not clear at that time. The project was organized by the North Carolina State University and led by S. Thomas Parker. Soon archaeologists found interesting walls, that, most likely belonged to a former church and in 1998 they discovered that this church might be the oldest known purpose-built church in the world.

This term is not exactly precise: it is known that churches in the late 3rd century were built in many cities of the Roman East, for example, in Nicomedia – present-day Izmit, Turkey. But these churches, as far as it is known, were completely demolished around 303 – 313 AD and even their traces have not been identified.

There are known older churches, such as Dura-Europos house church (233 AD), but these churches are located in structures that originally were built for other purposes.

Description

Today the only remnants of this church are its walls that rise up to 4.5 m tall.

Church had a basilica planning and eastward orientation. It was quite a large structure: a three-aisled basilica, 26 by 16 m large.

Walls are built from mud-brick and had a colored plaster – there are traces of several colors on it. Doorways in the church were arched, and a fragment of a stairway with seven steps was found. Most likely, stairs were leading to the roof.

One of the most interesting finds inside the church was a large sandstone slab – a purported offering table. There were found also pieces of a glass oil lamp, coins, shards of pottery.

Exactly these pottery shards were crucial to set the age of the structure – pottery often is a very useful find that lets to determine the age.

In one nearby tomb were found also parts of a bronze cross.

What do we know about the history of Aqaba Church?

First – these walls almost certainly belong to a church. Almost certainly – but we are not absolutely sure yet.

Most likely, the construction of this church was a private initiative in a time of relative easing on Christian prosecution. It could be financed by a group of affluent local Christians and constructed sometime between 293 – 303 AD.

This church was sufficient for some 60 worshippers.

In 303 AD the Diocletianic Persecution of Christianity started and lasted some 10 years. At this time the known churches around Roman Empire were demolished and persecutions were especially harsh in the Eastern Provinces.

In Aqaba the church, most likely, was not in use anymore but somehow was not demolished like other churches.

As the persecutions ended, the life in church returned, it was refurbished and extended – now it could accommodate up to 100 worshippers.

It is known that Aqaba sent its representative – bishop of Aila – to the First Council of Nicaea in 325. Thus at that time in Aqaba was a sizeable group of Christians.

The church was in use until 363 AD when it was (most likely) destroyed by an earthquake. In its ruins for a while lived people but gradually the ruins were covered with wind-blown sand and thus preserved until the archaeological finds in the 1990ies. Most likely, more valuable architectural elements of the church were robbed soon after its demise.

References

1. S. Thomas Parker, An Early Church, Perhaps the Oldest in the World, Found at Aqaba, Near Eastern Archaeology, Volume 61 No 4, December 1998. Accessed on 27th January 2022.
2. S. Thomas Parker, The Roman ‘Aqaba Project: the 2002 campaign, Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan, 2003. Accessed on 27th January 2022.

Aqaba Church is included in the following article:

The ancient Megiddo – Armageddon

Some 1.5 kilometers to the north from this unusual find is located a steep hill – Tel Megiddo. This is the citadel of an ancient city, known better in the West as Armageddon. The same Armageddon where according to an exotic interpretation of the Bible the final battle at the end of the world will happen between the forces of good and evil (Bible does not say this directly).

Armageddon, most likely, is a Greek version of Hebrew site name “Har Megiddo” – “Mount of Megiddo”.

This is at least nine thousand years old (!) settlement that developed on a busy road between the world’s first civilizations – Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Over the millennia the rubble of structures accumulated gradually creating a hill that rises well above the surrounding undulating plains.

This ancient city at times spread to a much larger area than this hill. Sometimes around 3500 BC it became a true city – one of the first cities in the world.

Tell Megiddo was abandoned some 2500 years ago, but people have lived around it since then.

Extension of prison leads to a discovery

Megiddo Prison was built by the British administration in its present site – some 1.5 km south from Tel Megiddo – in the 1940ies. This dreary prison got its “second life” with the First Palestinian Intifada in the late 1980ies, when there were placed numerous inmates, frequently women and children. Living circumstances in this prison are hard – prison often is overcrowded and part of inmates sleep on the hard floor.

It was always known that prison is built over an ancient site and, before the construction of a new structure inside the prison walls, there were made salvage excavations in 2003 – 2008. Next to the archaeologists in these excavations participated also some 30 – 50 inmates.

During this work prisoners hit a corner of a large structure that turned out to be a fundament of a large building with 54 square meters large, ornate mosaic floor. The mosaic was wonderfully preserved and consists of limestone pieces in ten shades. Pieces of painted plaster on the floor testified that the walls of this room were ornate as well. Near this structure were found other installations – alleys, ritual baths, diverse domestic constructions.

Several inscriptions in Greek were uncovered and these texts certified – an ancient prayer hall of Early Christians was discovered.

Mysteries of Megiddo church

During the Roman times, sometimes in the 2nd century AD in the plain south from Tel Megiddo was built a Roman legion camp. Most likely this was Kefar ‘Othnay – the camp for Sixth Ironclad Legion, guarding the important trade routes in this region.

There were stationed some 5 000 Roman soldiers and we can be sure that nearby were living quite a few more people. Legion was stationed there for more than 100 years and was the largest Roman military installment outside Jerusalem in these times.

In this time nearby this camp, south from it, across the road was built a large house, 30 by 40 meters large. Most likely, initially, this was a house that was converted into a prayer hall, similar to other house-churches in the region.

Roman soldiers, most certainly, knew about this prayer hall. Even more – this, most likely, was a Roman house with a tiled roof – houses of locals did not have such roofs.

There are several inscriptions on the fine mosaic floor and one of them mentions Roman officer Gaianus who donated for the creation of this floor. Nearby other inscriptions mention Aketous (another reading – Ekoptos) – a woman who donated an altar table to the God Jesus Christ.

The floor mosaic includes also two fish – an early Christian symbol. It is somewhat unusual that the altar is called a “table” – this might be linked to the use of tables as the first altars in the churches.

But the most unusual fact here is the age of the prayer hall.

Initially this discovery was dated to 230 AD – making it the oldest known Christian prayer hall in the world, some years older than Dura-Europos house church, but now specialists are less certain about its age.

Pottery pieces on the floor and the form of fonts hint at the fact that the church operated here already in the 3rd century AD or, the latest, at the very beginning of the 4th century AD. Formally Christian churches were allowed with the Edict of Milan in 313 AD. It is widely considered that Romans persecuted the Christians and did not allow their gatherings before this. But here we see an early Christian prayer hall directly in a Roman house!?

Thus – the mosaic floor of Megiddo church presents to us one more riddle from the past…

References

1. Archaeologists unveil ancient church in Israel, NBC News, November 7 2005. Accessed on 8th January 2022.
2. Megiddo Prison dig yields rare 3rd-4th century Christian structure, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, November 9 2005. Accessed on 8th January 2022.
3. Israeli prison to join Armageddon’s list of ancient ruins, Reuters, August 8 2018. Accessed on 8th January 2022.
4. Yotam Tepper and Leah Di Segni, A Christian Prayer Hall of the Third Century CE at Kefar ‘Othnay (Legio), Jerusalem 2006, Israel Antiquities Authority, 2006. Accessed on 8th January 2022.

Megiddo Church is included in the following article:

House churches of Early Christianity

Early Christians became a persecuted group of people during the first centuries of the Common Era. At some time Christians were allowed to perform some of their rites in synagogues but soon they were expelled.

Nevertheless, active religious practice requires joint activities: people need and love to come together, and they need a place to teach the religion, to admit new members to the faith. After all, this is a tradition set by Jesus Christ himself: he gathered his disciples in the “Upper Room” – the Cenacle in Jerusalem. Early Christians had lots of things in common – the persecution and common knowledge of the new religion turned the communities of Early Christians into a kind of large families.

Thus early Christians in the 3rd century started to gather in larger houses of somewhat more affluent members of parishes. In some places they changed houses – one time met in one and the next time in another one. And in some places, some houses were just better suited and gradually were adjusted for religious practice. Of course, in most cases, such gatherings took place secretly.

These were the first churches in the world and these house churches appeared in the ancient cities of the Roman Empire around the 3rd century – early 4th century.

In 313 AD the Roman Emperor Constantine granted full religious tolerance to Christianity and other religions – and since then the construction of dedicated church buildings started. Nevertheless, the tradition of house churches continued throughout the centuries up to modern times – either due to the persecutions or just to be closer to the original idea of Christianity.

Dura-Europos

The history of Dura-Europos though starts long before this church. At first, in 303 BC this was a fortress built by Seleucids some decades after the death of Alexander the Great. These Macedonians (and, most likely, people of some other nationalities as well) selected a place in an impressive location: on a 90 m tall precipice over the Euphrates River. This fort protected the crossroads of important trade routes.

“Dura” is an Assyrian term for a fortified city and “Europos” means that this place was ruled by the Europeans – Macedonians.

In the 2nd century BC, there was developed a well-planned city with a rectangular network of streets and Dura-Europos became an important regional center. Later it was conquered by Parthians until 165 AD when Dura-Europos became a Roman city.

Dura-Europos was a multiethnic city with its own distinct style in architecture, but gradually its Greek spirit was replaced by eastern people and traditions. The diversity of shrines in the city during the 3rd century AD is astounding – there is a synagogue, shrine to Mythra, shrines to Aphlad, to Azzanathkôna.

The city was quite rich and it shows in the abundance of the works of art in the shrines. Here lived up to 5000 people.

The oldest known church in the world

Sometimes around 233 AD or a little later one of the numerous houses inside the city walls was converted into a church. This house was located in the south-western part of the city near the city wall.

From the outside, the Dura-Europos house church, most likely, retained its former looks and seemed to be just a common living house. But inside this was a true shrine.

There was an inner courtyard with church premises around it. The largest room was a room for gatherings. It was made by demolishing the wall between two smaller rooms. At the far end of the courtyard was one more space for teachings. And then there was one more room – a small baptistry: the most interesting room of all because it was adorned with frescoes.

Frescoes of Dura-Europos house church

Frescoes in baptistry belong to the earliest Christian paintings in the world – these paintings are just a few decades younger than the Christian paintings in Roman catacombs. Frescoes follow the Hellenistic Jewish iconographic tradition – an artistic style common in Jewish inhabited towns of the Near East in these times.

Nevertheless, these are not some outstanding works of art: the frescoes in the nearby Dora-Europos synagogue are a lot better. But this does not decrease the unique historical value of these unique works of art. These frescoes are:

• The “Healing of the paralytic” – here Jesus Christ is shown with short hair and he is cleanly shaven. His cloak also is short – after all, Jesus was a modest man and definitely did not wear long pallium as shown in later imagery. This could be the earliest known depiction of Christ, although some earlier images in Roman catacombs also show a man which is meant to be Jesus.
• The “Good Shepherd” – one of the first images of Jesus Christ as the shepherd, as mentioned in the Bible.
• “Christ and Peter walking on the water”.
• The largest fresco shows two women approaching a large sarcophagus – possibly the Three Marys at Christ’s tomb – supposedly, Mary Magdalene, possible sister of Jesus’ mother Mary of Clopas, and Mary Salome – one of the followers of Jesus. The image of the third woman is lost now.
• Adam and Eve were added near the Good Shepherd a little later.
• David and Goliath.
• The Samaritan women at the well.

End of the city and lucky survival of the church

Persians (Sassanids) attacked Dura-Europos and around 256 AD they managed to take the city.

The resistance was fierce. Persians were good at tunneling under the city walls and desperate fights took place in these tunnels as well. There were used even poisonous gases.

In order to prevent the easy tunneling under the walls, Roman defenders filled the houses near the walls with rubble and splinters. Such was the fate of the house church and also the nearby synagogue and some more valuable monuments of history.

When Persians took the city, they expelled the survivors and the city was abandoned. Thus the home church with its frescoes was silently waiting for its discoverer throughout the centuries.

Modern times

Dura-Europos was rediscovered in 1885 and here took place large-scale excavations in the 1920ies and 1930ies by French and American archaeologists (led by Michael Rostovtzeff, Yale University). Archaeologists were truly excited about rich finds in this surprisingly well-preserved city. There were even found parchment scrolls with Hebrew texts deciphered as Christian Eucharistic prayers, as well as remnants of a text of unknown Greek gospel harmony in the city dump.

Much worse times came in the early 21st century. After the occupation by ISIS Dura-Europos suffered from massive looting in 2011 – 2014. Most likely, extensive damage was done also to the house church. Luckily, the invaluable frescoes were removed and are stored at the Yale University Art Gallery, United States.

References

1. Church House at Dura-Europos, The Byzantine Legacy. The site was last visited on 26th January 2018.
2. Syria: damages to the Dura-Europos house church, Vatican Insider. The site was last visited on 26th January 2018.

Dura-Europos house church is included in the following article:

Status of Archbasilica of St John Lateran

There are four papal major basilicas – all in Rome. The oldest and the highest-ranking of them all (and each of these buildings is very special!) is Archbasilica of St. John Lateran. No other Catholic church in the world is as important, even the St. Peter’s Basilica.

Archbasilica is the seat of the pope and the cathedral church of Rome. It has extraterritorial status from Italy as a property of the Holy See.

This is the oldest public church in Rome and the ecumenical mother church of Catholics.

The status of this magnificent building is testified both by its history and its embellishments and works of art.

History

Many structures in Rome have been built over the older buildings, often using parts of other structures. Thus it is very hard to find out – in which year the construction was started. Lateran Basilica is one of such cases – over the last 2000 years, there existed several structures, each influencing the next one.

The timeline of Lateran Basilica shows – this building is truly unique:

• Before common era: part of the current land plot that is now taken by Archbasilica belonged to the influential Laterani family and here stood Lateran Palace.
• 193: in the site of the present basilica in the times of Emperor Septimius Severus was established a Roman fort which was demolished around 312 – but the remnants of this ancient structure still are under the nave of the Archbasilica.
• 307: the Lateran Palace became the property of the Roman Emperor.
• Around 312: Emperor Constantine ordered to build a Christian Basilica at the palace – the first official church building in Rome and one of the oldest in the world. The basilica was dedicated to Christ the Savior.
• Around 313: land plot donated by Constantine to the Bishop of Rome – the future popes.
• 313-318 (324?): Bishop Sylvester I (now recognized as pope) built the basilica at Lateran Palace. The throne of the bishop – cathedra – became a symbol of episcopal authority. As the cathedra of the Bishop of Rome was placed inside the new basilica, it became a “cathedral”. Maybe this was not the first official cathedral in the world – there are several more in the Mediterranean area from these times – but it definitely was among the first ones.
• 410: Archbasilica was looted by the Visigoths.
• 455: Vandals invaded Rome and archbasilica was looted. Before this, the building was splendid and filled with valuables – it had a nickname “Golden Basilica” (Basilica Aurea).
• Around 460: Archbasilica was restored.
• 896: Archbasilica was almost totally destroyed by an earthquake. The new basilica was built in the same dimensions as the previous.
• 904-911: Archbasilica was rebuilt, rededicated to St. John the Baptist by Pope Sergius III.
• 1144: pope Lucius II dedicated the Archbasilica to John the Evangelist. Nevertheless Christ the Savior still was the primary patron of archbasilica.
• 1123, 1139, 1179, 1215, and 1512-1517: five ecumenical councils took place in the Archbasilica and Lateran Palace.
• 1308: fire destroyed the archbasilica and Lateran Palace.
• 1361: fire again destroyes both buildings. Pope was in Avignon in these times and both basilica and palace deteriorated although the pope sent financing for the maintenance and repairs.
• 1370-1378: the rebuilding of Archbasilica of St. John Lateran in its former design.
• 1376: papacy returnes to Rome. This part of Rome was sparsely populated and dangerous. Lateran Basilica and Palace were considered to be not suitable for the pope anymore – buildings were too dilapidated. Popes resided in other basilicas in Rome until the present Palace of the Vatican and Basilica of St. Peter was built in the 16th century.
• 1562-1567: the magnificent, coffered ceiling was made by Flaminio Boulanger. Now the ceiling is adorned with a huge amount of gold.
• 1585-1590: reconstruction of Lateran Basilica and Palace during the papacy of the ambitious Sixtus V. Works were made under the guidance of architect Domenico Fontana. The old Lateran Palace was demolished and a new palace constructed instead.
• 1646-1650: the interior of Basilica was renovated upon orders of Pope Innocent X in 1646-1650. These works were managed by the talented architect Francesco Borromini. Borromini though did not have too much artistic independence: he was asked to keep the coffered ceiling and the old, uneven floor and the apse of the basilica.
• 1718: the twelve niches created by Borromini were filled with Rococo style statues of the Apostles.
• 1733-1735: the magnificent, current facade of the archbasilica was built. This rebuilding was ordered by Pope Clement XII and the competition was fierce – more than 23 architects participated. Most designs were in the popular Baroque style but one excelled as something unusual and innovative: the design of Alessandro Galilei from the same family as Galileo Galilei and one of the first great Neo-Classicism architects. This design was selected as a winner and after the completion of works caused a scandal among the artistic circles in Rome and, at the same time was admired by a new generation of architects in France and Britain. Thus the facade of this ancient building got a very innovative design for its time, making the Lateran Basilica similar to a palace.
• World War II: Lateran Basilica and Palace served as a refuge for Jews and other persecuted people.

Design and relics

During its long history, Archbasilica has turned into a complex structure with several parts and adjoining buildings. Nevertheless, the main body has retained five aisles, just like in the 4th century.

Six popes are buried in the Lateran Basilica. At least ten more burials of popes were destroyed in the fires during the 14th century and their remnants were gathered and reburied.

Lateran Basilica contains several macabre relics: at the top of the altar is a reliquary that contains purported heads of St. Peter and St. Paul. The altar of the Holy Sacrament contains a supposed table of the Last Supper, a high altar – a piece of wood from St. Peter’s communion table. One more relic is a sample of Jesus’ blood. Well… just try to imagine if all of this is true. Weird indeed.

Among the countless embellishments and art values, Archbasilica contains fragments of Giotto’s fresco from 1300: but there are numerous other valuable artifacts of the past and wonderful monuments of art.

Lateran Palace adjoins the Archbasilica but close to it are several more important historical structures: Lateran Obelisk from Ancient Egypt, Lateran Baptistery, Scala Sancta (legendary stairs where Jesus stepped on his way to trial during Passion), and The Tribune.

Especially beautiful is the adjoining St. John Lateran’s Cloister. It was built in the early 13th century and utilized by Augustine priests who were in charge of liturgical ceremonies at the basilica. The cloister was designed by Vassalletto architects – father and son, who used the motives of ancient art. An interesting accent is Solomonic columns and columns twisted around each other – technically complex design.

References

1. Arcibasilica Papale San Giovanni in Laterano. Site last visited on 28th December 2018.
2. Roberto Piperno, Basilica di S. Giovanni in Laterano from “Rome in the Footsteps of an XVIIIth Century Traveller”. Site last visited on 28th December 2018.

Archbasilica of St. John Lateran is included in the following list: