# Warsaw team reaches original floor of Great Church of Jesus, 47 m wide, at Old Dongola in Sudan

- Published: 2026-11-10 23:32 UTC
- Section: Science › Research
- Tags: Old Dongola excavation, Great Church of Jesus, Makuria kingdom, Nubian cathedral, University of Warsaw archaeology, Greek inscriptions plaster, Prayer of Hannah fragment, Sudan archaeology
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-1a05afb89d13d804ba44d841_warsaw_team_reaches/

**Excavations at Old Dongola in northern Sudan exposed a large staircase and, on an upper level, an unexpected smaller church with Greek-inscribed plaster fragments.**

![Warsaw team reaches original floor of Great Church of Jesus, 47 m wide, at Old Dongola in Sudan](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/d550d26750eab013.jpg)
*dailygalaxy.com*

Archaeologists from the University of Warsaw and Sudan's National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums have reached the original floor of the Great Church of Jesus at Old Dongola in northern Sudan, dailygalaxy.com reports. Preliminary dimensions of the cathedral are about 47 meters wide and 57 meters long [1]. The team also found a large staircase and, on an upper level, a smaller church that was not expected [1].

## The cathedral and its site

Old Dongola stands on the east bank of the Nile, a deserted Nubian town that was once the core of the Makuria kingdom. The kingdom converted to Christianity in the sixth century CE, and the city flourished until the 14th century CE as a cluster of churches, monasteries and large buildings [1]. The Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology at the University of Warsaw has excavated the site since the 1960s [1].

Work on the cathedral has only begun. The staircase was the first surprise: some walls near it still stand about 11 meters tall [1]. Preliminary estimates put the building at around 47 meters wide and 57 meters long, and perhaps as tall as 21 meters [1].

Expedition director Prof. Artur Obłuski said in a statement to IFLScience that the building was larger than the White House in Washington, DC. He added that some buildings become trendsetters in architectural history, citing Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, and said the Great Church of Jesus appears a natural candidate for such a role in Nubia and perhaps in this part of Africa [1].

## Smaller church and Greek inscriptions

On the upper floor of the cathedral the archaeologists uncovered a smaller church. Much of it has vanished, but they recovered fragments of plaster bearing Greek inscriptions and paint [1]. According to Obłuski, the team now has six large shelving units filled with fragments of painted plaster, while very little survives on the walls themselves [1].

He compared the find with a church associated with King David that the team discovered in 2023. That church dates to the 13th century and was also added to the Great Church of Jesus, on its northern side [1].

Dr Agata Deptuła said one of the texts can be identified as a fragment of the Prayer of Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel, known from the Old Testament. According to her, the surviving fragments are written in Greek in a careful book hand, with very small letters only about half a centimeter high [1].

## Sources

1. [dailygalaxy.com](https://dailygalaxy.com/2026/11/47-meter-cathedral-emerging-sudan-desert)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-1a05afb89d13d804ba44d841_warsaw_team_reaches/