Built around 293 A.D. in Jordan, the Aqaba Church is considered to be the world’s oldest-known purpose-built Christian church.
It was unearthed by archaeologists in 1998, and ever since then, it has been holding the world record.
Its first phase was dated between 293 and 303, which makes it older than the ‘ Church of the Holy Sepulchre’ in Jerusalem and the ‘Church of the Nativity’ in Bethlehem, both of which were built in the late 320s.
Notes:
- Cenacle, the site of the Last Supper in Jerusalem, was the ‘First Christian Church’ according to the Catholic Encyclopedia
- Dura Europos Church, Syria is the World’s Oldest surviving Church building
________
Jordan