Early Christian

This church commemorates the Feeding of the Five Thousand and includes a portion of rock where the miraculous meal was laid. The Byzantine-style church preserves splendid 5th-century mosaics.

Dura Europos (nicknamed the “Pompeii of the Syrian Desert.”) is an important archaeological site in eastern Syria on the Euphrates river.

The Orthodox Baptistery in Ravenna dates from the 5th century and has even more beautiful mosaics than its Arian counterpart.

This baptistery was built at the end of the 5th century, when the Arian Visigoths ruled Italy. The dome mosaic shows the baptism of Christ with a personification of the River Jordan.

The Basilica of St. John was built by Emperor Justinian in the 6th century over the traditional tomb of John the Evangelist. The site became a major pilgrimage destination in the Early Middle Ages.

This mausoleum was built for one of the most powerful women in western history, although she was probably never buried here. It is filled with splendid Byzantine mosaics and marble tombs from the early 5th century.

Santa Sabina is the best surviving example of an early Christian church in Rome. It dates from about 430, including its magnificent cypress doors carved with biblical scenes.

Part of a Benedictine monastery, the historic Basilica of St. Paul outside the Walls shelters the tomb of the Apostle Paul. Its beautiful cloisters display ancient artifacts discovered in the area.

The church of Santa Maria in Trastevere is said to be the first place of Christian worship in Rome, built where a fountain of oil sprung up on the day of Christ's birth. Inside are many excellent Byzantine mosaics.

Dedicated to both John the Evangelist and John the Baptist, St. John Lateran is the cathedral of Rome and one of its four major basilicas. It includes a fine 13th-century cloister.

Also known as the Lateran Baptistery, this octagonal structure in Rome was built by Constantine in 315 and is the oldest baptistery in the world.

This little round church was built around 360 to house the tombs of Constantine's daughter and sister. Its ceilings are covered in some of the earliest Christian mosaics in the world.