The Bishop's Church in Ostia, Rome's port city, was founded by Constantine the Great shortly after Christianity was legalized.
This makes it one of the oldest churches in existence.

Unlike most other churches founded by Constantine, this episcopal church was never subsequently overbuilt, so that here—uniquely for the early period of Christian sacred architecture—the appearance and design of a church from the period between 320 and 330 can be uncovered.
Since 2023, the site has been excavated by the Universities of Bonn and Cologne, together with the German Archaeological Institute in Rome and in cooperation with the University of Rome “La Sapienza.”

This lecture will present the findings from the excavation campaigns to date.

Sabine Feist teaches Christian Archaeology at the University of Bonn.