The church dates from the mid-4th century and is located next to the monastery, which occupies a special place in the Christianization of the country.
Archaeologists have found in Artashat, the ancient capital of Greater Armenia, a Christian temple that dates back to the mid-4th century. This dating makes it the oldest temple discovered in the country to date.
The building is cruciform in plan. In the center of the “cross” there is a regular octagon (octagon) with a diagonal of about 30 meters. It had a simple mortar floor and a tiled roof. Inside, archaeologists also discovered the bases of massive columns. In the outbuildings there were remains of wooden platforms; it was from them that the dating was established using the radiocarbon method. Remains of marble decoration, the stone for which comes from the Mediterranean, were also discovered in the temple.
The church has been revealed by excavations only in certain areas, but its general plan is determined by geophysical methods. Now this is the only temple of such a layout on the territory of Armenia, but this design is well known in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Artashat was founded at the foot of Ararat in 176 BC. like the capital Great Armenia. Even when the kingdom became dependent on the Roman Empire, and later on Sasanian Persia, the city remained the political and administrative center of Armenia – for almost six centuries, until the 5th century AD.
The newly discovered church is located, according to researchers, “two steps away” from the Khor Virap monastery, which occupies a special place in the Christianization of Armenia. According to legend, Gregory the Illuminator languished in the dungeons of this monastery for 13 years. Subsequently, he baptized King Trdat III, after which the king made Christianity the state religion. If we accept the traditional version of this event, 301, then Armenia can be considered the first country with “state Christianity”. It received official status in the Roman Empire in 313.
The church in Artashat was discovered by a joint expedition of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia and the University of Münster (Germany). She has been working in Artashat since 2018.
Based on materials The History Blog And University of Münster
Source: www.nkj.ru
