Amphorae from various parts of the Mediterranean, found inside the fourth-century church. Photo: A. Drzymuchowska

A team from the University of Warsaw’s Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology has been conducting research since 2000, including digging and conservation work.

The team’s most interesting findings in Marea so far include a basilica, a burial chapel and the largest collections of ceramic fragments (“ostraca” to archaeologists) discovered in Egypt.

In the basilica, which operated from the 5th to the 8th Century, the archaeologists discovered remnants from ever further back in time.

What is left of the church was discovered in the ancient port of Marea, near the city of Alexandria.Skrzypiec/pcma.uw.edu.pl

“At the end of the last research season, under the floor of the basilica, we encountered a wall’s remains, which turned out to be the outer walls of an even older church,” said Dr Krzysztof Babraj of the Museum of Archaeology in Kraków, who led research on the basilica.

“This is one of the oldest Christian temples discovered in Egypt so far,” he added.

The older church is underneath the basilica, which was destroyed by an earthquake. The form of its limestone walls, along with ceramic and glass fragments found inside the ruins, indicate that the church dates back to the mid-4th Century.

The walls of the church were decorated with multi-colored polychrome. Among the performances were equidistant crosses inscribed in a circle, photo: A. Drzymuchowska

Measuring 24 by 15 metres, the church was decorated with polychromes, little of which has survived. The archaeologists are collecting what is left of them, scattered in thousands of fragments.

Remains of the church from the 4th century were found under the plantation of a large basilica, which existed in subsequent centuries, photo: A. Drzymuchowska

“Our discovery is also important because we basically don’t know any remnants of churches from the neighboring metropolis, Alexandria.

“Now we know how they could look, which is why it is so important to continue our research that we have just begun in the old church,” said Babraj, explaining the discovery’s significance