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Since the 1st Century, a new religion, Christianity, quickly spread around the whole Roman Empire. North Africa, from its large, cosmopolitan cities to its most remote rural areas, proved to be an especially fertile ground for the Christian Gospel. In this article, we will discover the main churches and other Christian archaeological remains that still exist today in Libya.
Series: Churches and Other Christian Buildings of Ancient North Africa – Tunisia – Libya – Algeria and Morocco
Tripolitania
The archaeological site of Leptis Magna contains remains of a very well-preserved ancient Christian Church, with two naves. The Basilica Severiana, one of the city’s emblematic buildings, originally built by Septimius Severus, was also transformed into a church during the Byzantine era.
The ruins of the Byzantine Church of Oea (Tripoli) can be seen close to the Old Medina of Tripoli.
Apuleius’ Basilica, in Sabratha, is the city’s former Roman Basilica (law court), which was transformed into a church in 440. Its name comes from the Numidian writer Apuleius, the author of the novel The Golden Ass, who was accused of sorcery and judged in Sabratha. Another church, Justinian’s Basilica, was built after the Byzantine reconquest.
In Ghadames, Christian tombs and inscriptions were discovered.
Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica, the first North African region where Christianity propagated, has some of the most beautiful and best-preserved Roman African Christian remains. Sadly, they are hard to access due to political instability.
The old city of Cyrene contains several churches. One, which has three naves, is located just next to the Forum. However, the main Cyrenean church was in Apollonia, the port city.
Ptolemais (Tolmeita), the new capital of Cyrenaica, also contains the ruins of several churches. Its main church, the Fortified Church, is one of the largest Christian churches in North Africa. This is where Synesius of Cyrene served as a bishop.
In Taucheira (Tocra), the Byzantine Church of the Palace has beautiful mosaics, which can be seen on this page.
The Asclepium of Balagrae (Al-Bayda), an important sanctury of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine, where the sick went on pilgrimage in order to be healed, was transformed into a church.
Two other beautiful Byzantine churches can be found in the Derna region: in Erythron (El Athroun), and in Naustathmus (Ras al-Hillal). The Church of Naustathmus can be seen on the cover picture of this article.
The ancient city of Olbia (Qasr Libya), which was rebuilt in the Byzantine era, by order of Empress Theodora, contains two Byzantine churches, with around fifty mosaics that are considered among the most beautiful in the world.
