List of oldest church buildings
Building Location Country Oldest Part Denomination Notes
San Vitale Rome Italy 400 Roman Catholic Although it was restored several times , the church retains its original structure and walls ; it actually sits below street level due to its age and relative lack of major structural renovations . The portico is one of the most ancient parts of the church
Santa Sabina Rome Italy 422 Roman Catholic Mostly unaltered , with some original mosaic decoration and agate window treatments . Notably , wooden doors date from around the same era and contain an early depiction of the crucifixion
San Giovanni Evangelista Ravenna Italy 424 Roman Catholic Partially original walls , with original floors and columns under layers of new floors
Santa Maria Maggiore Rome Italy 432 Roman Catholic Features intact original mosaic decoration , including some of the oldest depictions of the Virgin Mary . 18th-century façade covers 12th-century façade which replaced the original
Church of the Acheiropoietos Thessaloniki Greece 450-470 Greek Orthodox The Acheiropoietos has been dated from its bricks and mosaics to c. 450-470 , making it perhaps the earliest of the city 's surviving churches . It was modified in the 7th century and again in the 14th and 15th centuries , but retains much of its original character . Known as the Panagia Theotokos in Byzantine times , it is dedicated to Mary
Santo Stefano Rotondo Rome Italy 455 Roman Catholic Believed to be the first church in Rome with a circular plan , inspired by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem
Sant'Agata dei Goti Rome Italy 460 Roman Catholic Built for the Arian Goths by Ricimer , this ancient church retains its original site plan and columns , despite many restorations
Stenče Basilica Polog Valley North Macedonia 420-465 Early Church To date remains of 16 early Christian basilicas have been revealed in the Polog Valley , of which 12 in Tetovo area and 4 in Gostivar area , and best has been investigated the one in Stenče dating from the 5th century AD , which is unique in Macedonia with 3 baptisteries
Santa Prisca Rome Italy 4th or 5th century Roman Catholic In the interior , the columns are the only visible remains of the ancient church after a 17th-century restoration , but the floor plan remains . A baptismal font allegedly used by Saint Peter is also conserved
Little Hagia Sophia Istanbul Turkey 527 Greek Orthodox A former Eastern Orthodox church dedicated to Saints Sergius and Bacchus in Constantinople , converted into a mosque during the Ottoman Empire . This Byzantine building with a central dome plan was erected in the 6th century by Justinian , likely was a model for Hagia Sophia , and is one of the most important early Byzantine buildings in Istanbul . Poorly executed restorations leave the church with a modern character
Hagia Sophia Istanbul Turkey 532-537 Greek Orthodox For almost 1,000 years it was the largest church in Christendom , the main center of worship for the Eastern Orthodox Church , and the jewel of Constantinople . In 1453 , it was captured and converted into a mosque , becoming a museum in 1932 under Atatürk
Basilica di San Vitale Ravenna Italy 547 Roman Catholic The best-preserved basilica from the time of Justinian I , filled with outstanding Byzantine mosaics in an excellent state of preservation
Saint Sofia Church Sofia Bulgaria 4th century , actual building is from 6th century during the reign of Justinian I ( 527-565 ) Bulgarian Orthodox The church was built near the Amphitheatre of Serdica . 343 in the building took place the Council of Serdica that was attended by 316 bishops . The current building is from the 6th century
Basilica of Saint Servatius Maastricht Netherlands c. 550 Roman Catholic The oldest church in the Netherlands . There was a small memorial chapel on the site dedicated to the Saint Servatius ( 310-384 ) , who became the first bishop of Maastricht , and this was later replaced by a larger stone church , incorporating the ancient stone
Dormition of the Theotokos Church , Labovë e Kryqit Gjirokastër Albania 6th century Albanian Orthodox The Dormition of the Theotokos Church ( Albanian : Kisha e Shën Mërisë ) is a church in Labovë e Kryqit , Gjirokastër County , Albania . The foundation on the structure dates from 6th , with the rest from 13th . It is a Cultural Monument of Albania . The present building dates from the 13th century
St. Martin 's Church Canterbury United Kingdom 597 Anglican The oldest church building in England , still functioning as a church
Church of Saint Apostles Peter and Paul Stari Ras , Novi Pazar Serbia 6th century Serbian Orthodox Also known as Peter 's Church ( Serbian : Петрова црква / Petrova crkva ) , it is a Serbian Orthodox church , the oldest intact church in Serbia . It is situated on a hill of Ras , the medieval capital of the Serbian Grand Principality ( Rascia ) , near Novi Pazar , Serbia . It is part of the Stari Ras complex , listed on the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites in Serbia . The foundations of the structure date from the 6th century , with the rest from the 7th , 9th , and 12th centuries
Chapel of São Frutuoso Real , Braga Portugal 656 Catholic Church Visigoth chapel . It has been modified and rebuilt many times
San Juan Bautista Baños de Cerrato , Venta de Baños , Castile and León Spain Completed in 661 Catholic Church Visigoth church built by King Recceswinth in 661 and whose solemn ceremony of consecration is believed to have been on January 3 , 661 . The excavations carried out in the years 1956 and 1963 found a medieval necropolis of 58 tombs to the northwest of the church and also found three pieces of bronze of the 7th century : 2 lychee-shaped belt clasps and 1 liturgical object
Santa María de Melque San Martín de Montalbán , Castile-La Mancha Spain 668 Catholic Church It served as a monastic ensemble of the Visigoths . The radiocarbon dating of a sample obtained from the conserved part of the original stucco plaster has given a most probable construction date in the interval 668-729 AD . Probably its construction was paralyzed when the arrival of the Arabs began and it was finished and it was reformed later , having suffered multiple historical vicissitudes
Late Antiquity and Early Middle Ages -- Europe
This article lists some but by no means all of the oldest known church buildings in the world. In most instances, buildings listed here were reconstructed numerous times and only fragments of the original buildings have survived. These surviving freestanding buildings were purposely constructed for use by congregations (or used at an early date). The dates are the approximate dates when they were first used by congregations for worship. Church may be used in the sense of Christian denomination or in the singular as the Christian Church as a whole. The church (ecclesia, assembly) is traced to Pentecost and the beginning of the Christian mission in the first century and was not used in reference to a building. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia the Cenacle (the site of the Last Supper) in Jerusalem was the first Christian church. Archaeology magazine suggests that the Dura-Europos church in Syria is the oldest surviving church building in the world. While Jordan's Aqaba Church is considered to be the world's first purpose-built church. Several authors have cited the Etchmiadzin Cathedral (Armenia's mother church) as the oldest cathedral. Also St. Thaddeus Monastery or Qara Kelisa (means black church) in Chaldoran County, Iran is noted by UNESCO World Heritage Centre as related to the 66 AD. According to Armenian tradition such a location was chosen because saint Thaddeus built the earliest church--parts of which are still believed to be in place as the base of the old section--upon the ruins of the temple.