Addis Ababa: A group of archaeologists have discovered the oldest Christian shrine in what is known in sub-Saharan Africa. The shrine dating back to 313 AD, when Emperor Constantine legitimized Christianity, was discovered in Ethiopia, the center of the Aksumite Empire. The most important of these was the ancient Roman-style basilica, 60 feet long and 40 feet wide.
The Archaeological World hopes that this discovery will shed more light on the miraculous conversion of the Christian faith of the Aksumite Empire into one of the most beautiful and mysterious empires of the ancient world. During the reign of Emperor Constantine of the Basilica, which was built by the Romans for administrative purposes, Christians were receiving it for their worship purposes.
In addition to the basilica, the ancient Ethiopian word “venerable” includes a cross-engraved stone flag and incense-burning incense. Archaeologists have also found the inscription on the west wall of the basilica, “Let Christ be our Helper.” The historic discovery was made at the Beta Samiti, meaning “the home of the audience,” in the local language Tigrinya, about seventy kilometers south-west of the Red Sea along the present-day border with Eritrea.
According to Smithsonian Magazine in Washington DC, this finding leads scholars to believe that Christianity spread throughout Ethiopia at the time that Constantine enacted Christianity. According to Ethiopian mythology, Christianity spread through the Greek-speaking Frumentius, a Christian monarchy in the Axum Empire, and it was he who converted King Ezana to Christianity. But it has no historical credibility. Observers are of the opinion that the current research is a turning point in this scenario.
