Oldest Churches in the World – Top 10 Oldest Catholic Churches

What is the oldest church in the world? Where was the first Christian church located? What is the oldest cathedral? We will examine each of these questions over the course of this article as we discuss ten of the oldest churches in the world. We will look at their history, their architectural style, and which denomination made use of them. Keep reading to learn more about the oldest churches in the world!

Ten of the Oldest Churches in the World

Ancient churches have come in many different shapes and sizes over the two millennia since the birth of Christianity, and many of those old church buildings did not survive through the ages. Many of the oldest churches would have, likely, been outdoor congregation points, such as those expressed in the Gospels, and the earliest constructed ones may have been made of wood or more poorly constructed stone structures.

Christianity is a very old religion, and many different denominations have come along during that period. This means that some of the oldest churches are truly ancient.

We are going to look at some of the oldest Christian churches in the world. However, before we start, it is worth noting that we will only be looking at the earliest purpose-built Christian churches. This means that the church had to have been built as a church and not later turned into one. This means that the Pantheon does not make it onto this list even though it is, today, one of the oldest Catholic churches still in operation.

Aqaba Church (3^rd Century CE) in Aqaba

Ruins of the Aqaba church; Utilisateur:Bel Adone, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Aqaba Church is generally considered to be the oldest church in the world. So, where was the first Christian church located? Well, we cannot know what the actual first church was, but this one does appear to be the oldest we have found. It is in ruins now, but we know that it did serve as a church as there is a reference to this church in one of the attendants to the First Council of Nicaea.

This is from the history of the earliest days of the church and before the many schisms would occur and does therefore not conform to any real denomination as we know them today.

Monastery of Saint Thaddeus (3^rd Century CE) in West Azerbaijan Province

The Monastery of Saint Thaddeus; http://www.armenica.org, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Monastery of Saint Thaddeus is another of the most ancient churches, but this one is located in Iran and was supposedly constructed on the site where St Jude, one of the apostles, was martyred. Supposedly, the earliest church was constructed here in 66 CE, but the present church structure is all that persists. There have, according to tradition, been many reconstructions of the church ever since then.

Today, it is used by the Armenian Apostolic Church and was constructed in a traditional Armenian style with black and white stones in the walls and conical domes.

Dura-Europos Church (3^rd Century CE) in Dura-Europos

The remains of the former Dura-Europos church in 2008; Marsyas, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Dura-Europos Church is, according to sources, the oldest known house church. It is located in Syria and from archaeological evidence of the now ruined site, this structure appears to be one of the oldest churches that was converted from a house to a place of worship. However, this conversion occurred in the 3^rd century and the house does not appear to have been used for much else prior to its status as an old church building. This church even contained what may be the earliest fresco of the Virgin Mary in the world.

The denomination of this church is likely pre-schism.

Megiddo Church (3^rd Century CE) in Tel Megiddo

The mosaic floor, found in the Megiddo Church, contains an inscription that dedicates the location to Jesus Christ; Vesafis Tzferris, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Megiddo Church is another of the ancient churches that appear to have been a pre-schism denomination of Christianity, but this old church building in Israel includes many of the earliest pieces of Christian artworks. There is a mosaic floor that contains an inscription that dedicates the location to Jesus Christ, and it is situated near an altar. There are also images of geometric designs and fish imagery, which is common in early Christian art.

It also appears that the site was abandoned during Diocletian’s persecution of Christians in the early 4^th century, but this cannot be known for certain.

Trier Cathedral (3^rd Century – 1235 CE) in Trier

Cathedral of Trier in Trier, Germany; Berthold Werner, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Trier Cathedral is one of the oldest cathedrals in the world. This makes it one of the oldest Catholic churches and an important site for the history of the Catholic denomination. It was first constructed atop a Roman palace that was owned by Constantine the Great, and this is important as Constantine was one of the most important figures in early Christianity because of his conversion to the faith. Regardless of his protection, this church has been destroyed and reconstructed a number of times because of a variety of factors. Sometimes natural disasters, sometimes wars, and sometimes simply because of a renovation.

It still stands today as a Catholic cathedral in Germany and the present form of the structure is constructed around a Romanesque base with later Gothic and Baroque additions.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Early 4th Century CE) in Jerusalem

Church of the Holy Sepulchre cropped to approximately the area of the original church; Gerd Eichmann, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is another of the most important locations in Christianity. Unlike the prior church, which was supposedly located in the spot where Christ was born, this church is supposedly built over the location where he died and was later buried. This makes it one of the holiest sites in Christianity and, as such, it is another shared location. It is a pilgrimage site and has been used as a place of pilgrimage since the 4^th century.

The original site of this church was actually constructed by Constantine the Great, and so this structure and location have an immense history within the annals of Christian thought.

Etchmiadzin Cathedral (301 – 303 CE) in Vagharshapat

The Etchmiadzin Cathedral located in Vagharshapat, Armenia; Spasavor, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Etchmiadzin Cathedral is located in modern-day Armenia and, thanks to its incredible age, is considered to be the mother church of the Armenian Apostolic Church denomination. This also makes it one of the oldest cathedrals in the world (and possibly the oldest). The origins of the structure date back to the 4^th century, but the structure itself has been consistently expanded and developed over the millennia. Regardless of the additions that have been made, the church does still make use of an Armenian architectural style. It includes a central dome, an octagonal bell tower, and a number of apses.

The interior is also covered in an array of decorative elements and frescoes.

Hagia Sophia (325 – 1065 CE) in İznik

A view of the Hagia Sophia of Nicaea after restoration in 2012; Elelicht, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Hagia Sophia in İznik, which should not be confused with the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul, is a Byzantine-era church that has since become a mosque. However, it was once one of the oldest Christian churches in the world. After it was expanded, it was modeled after the more famous Hagia Sophia that has already been mentioned. This mosque includes many of the elements that have come to be expected of Byzantine architecture, such as the use of intricate mosaic designs. However, some of the more Christian designs were either changed or damaged when the Ottoman Empire took over the region in 1337.

Since then, the building has served as both a mosque and a museum at different periods of time.

Church of the Nativity (326 – 565 CE) in Bethlehem

The basilica and grounds as they were depicted in a work published in 1487; Konrad von Grünenberg, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Church of the Nativity is located in Bethlehem and is situated on the spot that is supposedly the location where Jesus Christ was born. For this reason, this old church is not actually considered to be part of any one denomination. It is instead shared between several different denominations because of the immense holiness of the location to Christian people. The church has been destroyed and rebuilt repeatedly over the course of its history, and thanks to this, it does not make use of any one architectural style and is instead a mix of many in a complex array of influences.

The church is still open to this day and is a common site of pilgrimage for Christians.

Hagia Sophia (360 – 537 CE) in Istanbul

The Hagia Sophia Church; Benh LIEU SONG from Torcy, France, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul is another location that was once an immensely important church that has since become a mosque. When the building was first constructed, it was part of the Byzantine Empire and was constructed under the direction of one of the greatest emperors of the period, Justinian I.

He wanted this church to be constructed as the greatest in the world, and it does have impressive architectural design behind it, such as including a 31 m (or 102 ft) high dome.

It is considered to be one of the most impressive pieces of Byzantine architecture ever designed, but it has changed hands several times. It was first Eastern Orthodox until it was sacked by Crusaders, who converted it into a Roman Catholic church, and then, in 1261, it became an Orthodox church again before finally becoming a mosque in 1453 (it then became a museum and then a mosque again).

Thus, we conclude our examination of the oldest churches in the world. We have looked at some of the oldest Christian churches, the oldest cathedrals, and a few old church buildings that are today used as mosques. We briefly discussed the history, architectural style, and denomination of ten of the oldest churches in the world. Hopefully, you have learned a lot about some of the oldest Christian churches, but there are still many more to learn about.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Oldest Purpose-Built Church in the World?

A purpose-built church is a church building that was actually built as a church building and not simply a structure that was converted from another building into a Christian church later, such as the Aqaba Church. This ancient church in Jordan is little more than a ruin today, but it is dated to the 3rd century CE.

What Is the Oldest Christian Denomination?

In the earliest days of Christianity, there was just one type of Christianity. However, it quickly split during schisms into different denominations. Some of the oldest include the Roman Catholic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church, and the Eastern Orthodox Church. There would later be many other denominations that further split from these old denominations.

What Is the Oldest Building Now Used as a Church?

The oldest church of this variety is the Pantheon in Rome. This structure was first constructed as a Roman temple and was, therefore, pagan by the standards of the early Christian church. It was built in 128 CE, but it was turned into a Christian church in 609 CE.

What Is the Most Famous Church in the World?

Fame is subjective, and so there is no definitive answer to this. However, some of the most famous may be St. Peter’s Basilica because of its location within the Vatican, the Notre Dame de Paris for its pop cultural influence, or St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow for being one of the most stunning examples of church architecture in the world.

How Many Churches Are There in the World?

Christianity is a massive religion with many denominations and not all of those denominations necessarily track how many churches there are, but by looking at parish and congregation numbers, we could determine how many there may be. Roman Catholicism has 221,700, the Eastern Orthodox Church has 60,000, Protestantism has about 800,000, the Oriental Orthodox Church has 86,000, and the Church of the East has around 640. Altogether, this means that there are well over a million Christian churches in the world.

Justin van Huyssteen( Writer, Academic, Educator )

Justin van Huyssteen is a writer, academic, and educator from Cape Town, South Africa. He holds a master’s degree in Theory of Literature. His primary focus in this field is the analysis of artistic objects through a number of theoretical lenses. His predominant theoretical areas of interest include narratology and critical theory in general, with a particular focus on animal studies. Other than academia, he is a novelist, game reviewer, and freelance writer. Justin’s preferred architectural movements include the more modern and postmodern types of architecture, such as Bauhaus, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Brutalist, and Futurist varieties like sustainable architecture. Justin is working for artfilemagazine as an author and content writer since 2022. He is responsible for all blog posts about architecture.

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