Datuna Church ( av, Датуна гьатӀан; ka, დათუნას ეკლესია; russian: Датунский храм) is the only medieval church that survives in modern

Dagestan Dagestan ( ; rus, Дагеста́н, , dəɡʲɪˈstan, links=yes), officially the Republic of Dagestan (russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н, Respúblika Dagestán, links=no), is a republic of Russia situated in the North C ...

(where most of the population is Muslim). It is situated in the

Shamilsky District Shamilsky District (russian: Шамильский райо́н; av, Шамилил мухъ) is an administrativeLaw #16 and municipalLaw #6 district (raion), one of the forty-one in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia. It is located in the western ...

, about 4 km south of the village of Datuna (which sits on the bank of the Avarian Koisu, one of the region's major rivers). The

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...

's architecture is similar to that of the

Kazreti Kazreti ( ka, კაზრეთი) is a daba in Bolnisi Municipality, in the region of Kvemo Kartli, in Georgia. Its primary economic activity is mining. The largest employer in Kazreti is JSC RMG Copper. Gold and copper are the principal preci ...

and Achi monasteries. It is thought to have been built by the

Georgian Orthodox The Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს სამოციქულო ავტოკეფალური მართლმადიდებელი ეკლესია, tr), commonly ...

missionaries at the turn of the 10th and 11th centuries. It is the only church surviving from the Christian state of

Sarir Sarir or Serir was a medieval Christian state lasting from the 6th or 7th century to the 12th century in the mountainous regions of modern-day Dagestan. Its name is derived from the Arabic word for "throne" and refers to a golden throne that wa ...

. It is a reminder of the close political and cultural ties between Georgia and Sarir in the Early Middle Ages. The church is listed in the

Russian cultural heritage register The national cultural heritage register of Russia (russian: Единый государственный реестр объектов культурного наследия) is a registry of historically or culturally significant man-made Immovabl ...

as a landmark of nationwide (federal) importance.Ancient Christian church of Datuna
(1960)

Ministry of Culture (Russia) The Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation () is a ministry of the Government of Russia responsible for state policy in cultural spheres such as art, cinematography, archives, copyright, cultural heritage, and censorship. Olga Lyubimova ...

References

Bibliography

*Gajiev, V. G (2013) History of Dagestan,

Tbilisi State University Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University ( ka, ივანე ჯავახიშვილის სახელობის თბილისის სახელმწიფო უნივერსიტეტი ''Ivane Javaxishvi ...

, ISBN 9785458344876 {{orthodox-church-stub Georgian Orthodox monasteries Culture of Dagestan Religious buildings and structures in Dagestan 11th-century Eastern Orthodox church buildings Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Dagestan