“The find consists of an octagonal building with cruciform extensions,” the researchers at the University of Münster explained.
“The team excavated parts of the church and studied it using geophysical methods. Typologically, the find corresponds to early Christian memorial buildings. In the cross-shaped extensions, the researchers discovered the remains of wooden platforms, which were radiocarbon dated to the mid-4th century AD,” the press release added.
If the suspected date of the building is correct, it would be in the range of the oldest church buildings, dating back to the third and fourth centuries.
The church has a terracotta floor and some marble pieces that were reportedly imported from the Mediterranean, which indicates to experts that it was a fancy church.
“The 4th century building is the oldest archaeologically documented church in the country – sensational evidence for early Christianity in Armenia,” the University of Münster Professor Achim Lichtenberger said in a statement.
