The Polish-Sudanese expedition of the Kazimierz Michałowski Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology at the University of Warsaw (CAŚ UW) has uncovered a monumental staircase at Old Dongola leading to the Great Church of Jesus. For the first time, archaeologists have also reached the level of the church’s original floor.
What the archaeologists uncovered
As the Kazimierz Michałowski Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology at the University of Warsaw (CAŚ UW) announced, during the latest work the researchers uncovered an “impressive staircase leading into the interior of the church” as well as buttresses reinforcing the apse. It was on the stairs that the team first managed to reach the level of the original floor. So far, only a small fragment of the building has been studied.
A second, smaller church with fragments of murals was also discovered next to the Great Church of Jesus.
The scale of the building
Findings to date indicate that the church was about 47 m wide and about 57 m long, and the archaeologists estimate its height at about 21 m. For comparison, the researchers had earlier established that the apse is about 9 m deep, meaning it survives to the height of three storeys of a residential block.
Prof. Artur Obłuski, head of the expedition, assesses that the building “seems a natural candidate” to be the main church of Nubia, and perhaps of this part of Africa as well. He compared it to structures that became models for others in the history of architecture.
Was this the cathedral of Dongola?
Old Dongola was the capital of the Christian kingdom of Makuria. Until now, the church located outside the walls was considered the city’s cathedral. New data suggest that the Great Church of Jesus may have played a far more important role. The final determination will have to wait until a larger part of the complex has been excavated.
The expedition came across the monumental building in 2021, when the University of Warsaw reported the discovery of what was probably the largest church in medieval Nubia. Systematic excavations were made possible by a grant from the National Science Centre. Polish archaeologists have been working in the Dongola area since 1964.
Flood damaged the site
Prof. Obłuski said that in autumn 2024 Old Dongola suffered from the largest flood since 1988. The water also damaged part of the roofs protecting the monuments at the site.
