Early Christian Church Unearthed in Sochi

The most ancient Christian church located in Russia has been found in the course of excavations in the Olympic Park in Sochi.

Earlier the city portal Gold of Sochi informed about archeological excavations of an early Christian church in Imeretinsky lowland that would start in September 2010. It also mentioned that 12 monuments of ancient culture had already been found there.

The architecture of the church reminds of the Orthodox relics of Abkhazia. Three sides the church were surrounded with enclosing narthexes, which later came to be used as sepulchers. In one of them archeologists unearthed remains of a married couple. According to a preliminary decision of researchers, the church dates back to the 9th–10th centuries.

Excavation is conducted by experts from the Russian Academy of Sciences. Artifacts will be transferred to museums of Sochi. Negotiations are carried out about creating an open-air museum in the church place.