Early Christian Sites
The Early Christian (or Paleochristian) era roughly covers the period 100-600 AD. Early Christian places include Roman catacombs, ancient baptisteries, early Byzantine churches, churches built by Constantine and sites connected with the early church fathers and major councils. In some cases a newer church has been built over the original, but most of those listed retain their early Christian characteristics. Also included are museums with a large collection of Paleochristian art. Below is an illustrated index of the 37 Early Christian Sites profiled on Sacred Destinations so far. For photo credits, please see corresponding articles.
Excavations beneath Geneva's cathedral have revealed Roman mosaics, several Early Christian churches and a medieval crypt. A catwalk leads visitors through the ancient ruins.
This baptistery was built at the end of the 5th century, when the Arian Visigoths ruled Italy. The dome mosaic shows the baptism of Christ with a personification of the River Jordan.
Poitiers Baptistery was built around 360 AD, making it the oldest church in France. It was expanded in the 6th century, decorated with frescoes in the 12th century, and is now a museum.
The Basilica of St. John was built by Emperor Justinian in the 6th century over the traditional tomb of John the Evangelist. The site became a major pilgrimage destination in the Early Middle Ages.
The area known as Wadi Kharrar has long been believed to be the biblical Bethany-beyond-the-Jordan, where John the Baptist lived and Jesus was baptized.
Once a Prussian prison, this museum houses the outstanding art collection of the Diocese of Trier, including rare Roman frescoes and much early Christian art.
Located on an strategically important site, Carthage was an important classical city and a major center of early Christianity.
First excavated in the 2nd century, the Catacomb of San Callisto consists of five levels of galleries on the Via Appia. It was the official burial place of the 3rd-century popes.
This extensive complex of early Christian tombs is entered through the ruins of a 12th-century Norman church. Some ancient frescoes can still be seen in the catacombs.
This ancient cave church is believed to have been dug by St. Peter himself. Fronted by a Crusader-era facade, it still hosts worship services and attracts pilgrims.
According to legend, seven Christian boys were locked in this cave by the Romans in c.250 AD, fell asleep, and woke up in the 5th century. It became a place of burial and pilgrimage.
This church commemorates the Feeding of the Five Thousand and includes a portion of rock where the miraculous meal was laid. The Byzantine-style church preserves splendid 5th-century mosaics.
The walls, an arch, and the baptismal pool remain intact at the Church of Mary, possibly the first church dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the world and the site of the Council of Ephesus in 431.
This important archaeological site has been called the Pompeii of the Syrian Desert. It was abandoned in the 3rd century and is home to the oldest surviving house-church and synagogue ever found.
Dubbed the "Pompeii of the East," Jerash is a ruined Greco-Roman city 80 miles north of Amman. The impressive ruins include Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and early Muslim buildings.
Located 50 km from Damascus, Maalula is the only place in the world that still speaks Aramaic, the language of Jesus. Home to two ancient Christian monasteries, it attracts Christian and Muslim pilgrims.
One of the most powerful women in western history, Galla Placidia was probably never buried here. The main attraction is the splendid mosaics dating from 430 AD.
Beneath Milan's Duomo lie the ruins of former cathedrals and a 4th-century baptistery, where St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, baptized St. Augustine.
The Baptistery of the Orthodox dates from the 5th century and has even more beautiful mosaics than its Arian counterpart.
Paestum's Basilica Paleocristiana is an early Christian cathedral dating from the 5th century. It has recently been restored to its original form, which uses materials from the ancient city.
Founded by the Seleucids in the 3rd century BC, Pisidian Antioch became an important Roman colony. It was visited by St. Paul and hosted the first fully Gentile Christian community.
This lovely 12th-century basilica stands over two previous sacred buildings: a church built in 392 and a 2nd-century Mithraic cave temple.
Also known as the Lateran Baptistery, this octagonal structure is the oldest baptistery in the world, built by Constantine in 315 AD.
Dedicated to both John the Evangelist and John the Baptist, St. John Lateran is the cathedral of Rome and one of its four major basilicas. It includes a fine 13th-century cloister.
Dating from the 4th century AD, this is the oldest church in Milan. It recalls the days when the city was the capital of the Western Roman Empire. 16 ancient Roman columns line the front of the church.
This spectacular major basilica shelters the bones of the Apostle Paul. It also boasts beautiful cloisters, a huge collection of artifacts discovered nearby, and a museum.
Unlike the others in Spoleto,this church isn't Romanesque - it's Roman! It was built in the late 4th century in the style of Classical temples and is remarkably well-preserved.
Built in 548 over the site of the martyrdom of St. Vitalis, this octagonal church contains some of the most celebrated mosaics in the West.
Dedicated to a young woman martyred in 303 AD, this church was built by Constantine and rebuilt in the 7th century. It has a Byzantine apse mosaic and crowd-free catacombs.
This little round church was built c.360 AD to house the tombs of Constantine's daughter and sister. Its ceilings are covered in some of the earliest Christian mosaics in the world.
This church is held to be the first place of Christian worship in Rome, built where a fountain of oil sprung up on the day of Christ's birth. Inside are many excellent mosaics.
Built on the site of a miraculous snowfall, this major basilica dates from 420 AD. The huge church is lined with Byzantine mosaics and contains many important relics.
Santa Sabina is Rome's best surviving example of an early Christian church. It dates from 422, including its carved wooden doors with biblical scenes.
This church, now completely destroyed, was built in the late 400s in Antioch's port city of Seleucia Pieria. Many interesting examples of early Christian art were discovered here.
This fascinating labyrinth of 3rd-century subterranean tombs is the earliest archaeological evidence of Christianity in Malta.
For Roman Catholics, St. Peter's is the most sacred site after the Holy Land. It centers around the tomb of St. Peter the Apostle and is one of the largest churches in the world.
Originally built by Constantine, this is the oldest church in Germany. It houses an array of artworks and a holy relic that still receives many pilgrims: the Holy Robe of Christ.
