Posted on 06/07/2019 6:14:15 PM PDT by marshmallow
An excavation in Egypt may have uncovered the oldest church ever discovered in the North African nation.
While working on the ruins of an ancient Basilica, research teams discovered the ruins of an even older structure, which is likely to “offer new insights into the growth of early Christianity in Egypt and elsewhere in the Mediterranean,” according to Ancient Origins.
The incredible discovery was made by a team of Polish archaeologists, led by Dr. Krzysztof Babraj, from Kraków’s Museum of Archaeology. The group were involved in a dig at the ancient port of Marea, near the city of Alexandria, when they happened upon the incredible church.
According to the lead researcher, it was while they were working underneath the floor of the ancient Basilica when the encountered the stunning sight.
“Towards the end of the last research season under the basilica, we came across remains in the form of walls,” Babraj explained, according to the Express. “It turned out, they were the outer walls of an even older church.”
The additional place of worship confirms that the latter Basilica was built as a replacement when the original structure was destroyed by an earthquake that devastated Marea in the 8th century AD.
The shape of the original church’s walls indicate that it was built in the shape of a cross — a common theme for many of the places of worship at the time. Inside, the team came across fragments of ceramic pots and glass.
(Excerpt) Read more at pravmir.com ...
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Fascinating. Thanks for posting this.
Keep the exact location off of Google Earth, or some loco-Locals may wish to destroy it. Remove as many large chunks as you can, and take them away. Because eventually, it will become well known.
Polish guys probably thought that they were in Cleveland looking for Indians(I can make these cracks with a clean conscience because I love Polish people).
+SunkenCiv
Ping.
5.56mm
Has anyone found any older Christian churches on any other planet?
The buried church is from the 4th century. Older than Mad Moe’s militant mafia cult by 300 years!
I couldn’t get your link to open so here is what seems to be the same article.
A Byzantine mosaic from the original Church of the Annunciation
in Nazareth, found beneath the modern church's courtyard.
Photo: http://www.timesofisrael.com
http://www.pravmir.com/researchers-believe-they-ve-uncovered-one-of-the-oldest-christian-churches-on-the-planet/
Thanks ProtectOurFreedom and M Kehoe.
I have been to the Holy Land. One sees at a lot of the churches the Byzantine mosaics within or around the more modern structures.
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