MIDDLE EAST: The remains of what experts say is the oldest Christian church in the Holy Land have been unearthed in the grounds of an Israeli jail for Palestinian security prisoners near the biblical site of Armageddon, writes Nuala Haughey in Jerusalem.
Israel's Antiquities Authority said the church at the Megiddo maximum security prison in the Galilee region dates to the mid 3rd or early 4th centuries AD and was a "once in a lifetime find".
The unique discovery includes a well-preserved floor mosaic bearing the name of Jesus, ancient Greek geometric patterns and murals of fish - one of the most widely used symbols of ancient Christianity.
The find includes remains of a rectangular church measuring six metres by nine metres and was unearthed after prison authorities demolished an old cell block for planned renovations.
Inscriptions discovered at the church refer to a Roman army officer who donated the money to build the floor and a woman named Ekeptos who donated the structure "to the God Jesus Christ in commemoration".
Archaeologist Jotham Tefer, who directed the excavation on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, dated the structure and the mosaic floor back to the period before Christianity became a recognized religion under Roman Emperor Constantine.
"Mosaics, in general, and inscribed mosaics in particular from the 3rd and 4th centuries are very rare, as is the wording of the inscription.
"This structure is indeed unique and significant to the understanding of the development of early Christianity into a recognized and official religion," he said yesterday.
"I can't say it's the oldest church in the world but I can say for sure in Israel. It's a very big find - as an archaeologist you can find something like this once in a life time," Mr Tefer added.
The ruins are close to Mount Megiddo, the site of an ancient fortified city state which became one of the most famous battlegrounds of the world due to its crucial strategic position overlooking the Via Maris trade route between Egypt and the east.
Great battles have taken place over mastery of Megiddo, fought by military men such as the Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose III in 1468 BC, Napolean in 1799 and British Gen Edmund Allenby during World War I.
Megiddo is better known as Armageddon of the New Testament book of Revelation, which prophesises that it will host humanity's apocalyptic final battle when the forces of good will triumph over evil.
The prison houses 1,200 Palestinian security prisoners, many sentenced for terrorist offences. Some 60 Israeli prisoners charged with criminal offences helped with the excavation but no Palestinian inmates of Megiddo jail were permitted due to security reasons, according to a spokeswoman for the Israeli Prisons Authority, Orit Stelser.
"You can't imagine how excited the prisoners involved in the dig were, it was like a holiday for them," she said.
The Israel Antiquities Authority said it would decide what to do with the site following consultation this week with domestic and international experts.