Archaeologists in Oderzo, Italy, have unearthed the earliest known Christian church in the ancient city, a discovery described as "exceptionally significant." The 1,600-year-old structure, located near the site of a former fish market, dates to the Late Roman period.
The discovery was announced by the Archaeological Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Metropolitan Area of Venice and the Provinces of Belluno, Padua and Treviso. The church, identified as Opitergium during its time, is a large rectangular building measuring approximately 75 feet wide and at least 98 feet long. It features a central aisle and two side aisles, with foundations up to four feet thick constructed from brick bonded with mortar.
Excavation at the site began in November as part of preparations for a residential redevelopment project in the city's historic center. The building's robust foundations rest on wooden piles driven into alluvial soil, a common construction technique in antiquity for stability.
Intricate polychrome mosaic floors have been uncovered, adding to the historical significance of the find. Alongside the church's foundation walls, archaeologists discovered four burials containing the remains of seven individuals. Anthropologists are currently studying these remains, with further analyses expected to provide more information about the cemetery and those interred there.
The eastern end of the church has not yet been excavated, suggesting the complex may be larger than initially determined. Evidence indicates that the church was eventually abandoned, stripped of its building materials, and partially destroyed during the Middle Ages.
This discovery is considered particularly important as it dates to a period when Christianity was becoming the dominant religion of the Roman Empire. Officials stated that the find "opens a new chapter in the history of ancient Opitergium during the Late Roman and Early Medieval periods."
The find adds to a series of recent archaeological discoveries in Italy, including a hidden chamber beneath Hadrian's Villa and an ancient sanctuary uncovered near Ponso earlier this year.