Polish-Sudanese expedition uncovers staircase and original floor of the Great Church of Jesus in Old Dongola

A Sudanese-Polish expedition working in Old Dongola, Sudan, has uncovered new parts of the building known as the Great Church of Jesus, according to dzieje.pl. The team exposed a monumental staircase leading into the temple and buttresses reinforcing its apse. For the first time they also reached the level of the original floor dzieje.pldzieje.pldzieje.plOpen source ↗.

The work is led by Prof. Artur Obłuski, director of the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology at the University of Warsaw. Old Dongola was the capital of the Christian kingdom of Makuria. The expedition first came across the structure in 2021, but excavation became possible only after a grant from the National Science Centre dzieje.pldzieje.pldzieje.plOpen source ↗.

Size of the church and a second sanctuary

Only a small part of the building has been examined so far, and the floor was reached only in the staircase area. According to the expedition leader, the church is 47 metres wide and about 57 metres long, and its height is cautiously estimated at 21 metres. He said it is larger than the White House in Washington and that deep excavations will be needed to uncover it dzieje.pldzieje.pldzieje.plOpen source ↗.

Until now, one of the churches outside the Dongola walls was regarded as the cathedral. Prof. Obłuski said that views on the role of this building may have to be revised dzieje.pldzieje.pldzieje.plOpen source ↗.

The archaeologists also found another church on the upper floor of a structure attached to the Great Church. Its walls survive to a height of about one metre, but traces of painted decoration remain. The team holds six large shelving units filled with fragments of painted plaster dzieje.pldzieje.pldzieje.plOpen source ↗.

Greek inscriptions and site protection

In the fill of the smaller church, researchers found small plaster fragments with Greek inscriptions. Dr Agata Deptuła, the expedition's epigraphist, reported that they are fragments of biblical canticles, or odes, added to the psalter. One text can be identified as part of the prayer of Hannah, mother of the prophet Samuel. The letters are only about half a centimetre high. Earlier finds at Old Dongola consisted mainly of psalm texts, so the odes are new for the site dzieje.pldzieje.pldzieje.plOpen source ↗.

The season was preceded by securing work carried out with the Faculty of Civil Engineering of Warsaw University of Technology. In autumn 2024 the site was hit by the largest flood since 1988, which also damaged some roofs protecting the monuments. The expedition also built a photovoltaic installation to power pumps that supply Nile water to the homes of about 10 thousand people and to their fields dzieje.pldzieje.pldzieje.plOpen source ↗.