Archaeologists Find Lavish Ancient Octagonal Church in Armenia

A fourth-century church has been discovered in what is believed to be the world's first Christian state.

Credit: Armenian-German Artaxata Project

It is the oldest archaeologically documented church in the country and provides additional evidence for early Christianity in Armenia, says Achim Lichtenberger, professor at the University of Münster. Armenia, situated at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, is believed to be the first Christian state in the world after King Tiridates III (c. 250s - c. 330) converted to Christianity.

“Octagonal churches were unknown here until now,” says Mkrtich Zardaryan of the National Academy of Sciences in Armenia, “but we are very familiar with them from the Eastern Mediterranean region, where they first appeared in the fourth century AD.”

From a biblical perspective, the number eight often symbolizes rebirth, so because of that, the octagon was one of the key symbols of the early church. It also comes with the benefit that an octagonal shape, rather than a rectangle, allows for a larger main area inside a church. By the fourth century, the shape became a common base structure for early churches.

The Armenia find, radiocarbon-dated to the mid-fourth century AD, features a roughly 100-foot-diameter octagonal structure with a simple mortar floor and terracotta tiles. Researchers noted that the cross-shaped extensions showed remains of wood platforms. The archaeologists also found remnants of marble suggesting that the church was lavishly decorated with material imported from the Mediterranean.

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