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Senty Church (russian: Сентинский храм) is a Christian church built in 965 in the territory of modern Karachay-Cherkessia (Russian Federation). It is situated on the left bank of the
Teberda River The Teberda (russian: Теберда) is a river in the North Caucasus. It is a left tributary of the Kuban. It flows past the Teberda Nature Reserve, through the town Teberda and terminates at Karachayevsk. It is long, and has a drainage basin of ...
, near the village of
Nizhnyaya Teberda Nizhny (russian: Ни́жний; masculine), Nizhnyaya (; feminine), or Nizhneye (russian: Ни́жнее; neuter), literally meaning "lower", is the name of several Russian localities. It may refer to: * Nizhny Novgorod, a Russian city colloquial ...
, 18 km south of
Karachaevsk Karachayevsk (russian: Карача́евск; krc, Къарачай шахар, ''Qaraçay şaxar'') is a town in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, Russia, located on the Kuban River in the Caucasus Mountains The Caucasus Mountains, : prono ...
. Senty Church is the earliest dated church in Russia.


History

Precise dating of the church is based on the inscription found on the northern wall of the eastern aisle. The text is as follows:
+ Ἐνεκεν σ(η), ἐνεώσ (η)ὁ να ςτ(ῆς)
ὑπεραγίας θ(εοτόκ)ου ἐπὴ βασηλ ίας
Νηκηφώρου, Βασηλ[είουκαὶ [Κωνσταντίνου
κὲ Δα(υὶ)δ ἐξουσηωκράτορ(ος) [Ἀλανίας
κ(αὶ) Μαρίας ἐξουσ[η]ωκράτ[ορίσσης
μ]ην(ὴ) Ἀπρη(λίου) β´, ἡμέρᾳ ἁγ[ή]ου Α[ντιπάσχα (?)
δηὰ χηρὸς Θεοδώρου, μητ οπο-
λ(ίτου) καθηγη(ασμένου) Ἀλανί(ας), ἀπ[ὸκ[τί-
σε(ως) κό(σμου) ἔτ(ους) ςυογ´. Ἀν[ε-
γράφε[το] δηὰ χειρὸς [τοῦ δεῖνος
ἀποκρησ(ιαρίου) πατρ(ικίου).
Which means:
+Sanctified, renewed the church
of the Blessed Virgin is in the reign of
Nikephoro, Basil and Constantine
and David, exusiocrator (a special title for ruler of Alania, byzantine exarch) of Alania
and Maria, exusiocratoriss
on 2 April, in the day of the saint Antipascha,
by the hand of Theodorе,
sanctified mitropolite of Alania
in the year 6473 from the creation of the world.
Written by the hand of
ame #REDIRECT AME #REDIRECT AME {{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from ambiguous page ...
{{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from ambiguous page ...
apocrisiarius patricius
Like the
Shoana Church The Shoana church (russian: Шоанинский храм, os, Суаны Уастырджы) is a Christian church that belongs to the historical Alanian Diocese. The church was built at the end of the tenth century, and is located on the terri ...
and the
Arkhyz Arkhyz (also Nizhny Arkhyz russian: Архыз; krc, Ырхыз, ''Irxız''; "mudflows") is a village in the valley of the Bolshoy Zelenchuk River, in the Republic of Karachay–Cherkessia, Greater Caucasus, Russia, about 70 km inland from t ...
Cathedral, Senty Church is believed to have been constructed in connection with missionary activities of Patriarch
Nicholas Mystikos Nicholas I Mystikos or Nicholas I Mysticus ( el, Νικόλαος Α΄ Μυστικός, ''Nikolaos I Mystikos''; 852 – 11 May 925) was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from March 901 to February 907 and from May 912 to his death ...
in the 10th century. In the second half oh the 19th century an orthodox Spassko-Preobrazhenskiy convent was built near the Senty church. The church was much altered at the urging of the nuns, its original form was changed. In the soviet times the convent was turned into an orphan house. At the present time it is being rebuilt. Near the church lie the ruins of a
mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...
which is also dates back to the 10th century. Supposedly it was intended to be used as a burial place for higher church officials. This building is unique for the northern Caucasus.


Architecture

The church is built from polished sandstone with a use of limestone solution. It has one dome. It is cross-shaped in plan, with an apse from the eastern side.


Interior

In the Senty Church there are many traces of frescoes. This is the biggest mural complex in Alania.


See also

*
Shoana Church The Shoana church (russian: Шоанинский храм, os, Суаны Уастырджы) is a Christian church that belongs to the historical Alanian Diocese. The church was built at the end of the tenth century, and is located on the terri ...
*
Zelenchuksky Churches The Zelenchuksky Churches or, Lower-Arkhyz Churches are located in an archaeological preserve extending for four kilometers around the ruins of Nizhnearkhyzskoe gorodishche near Arkhyz, Karachay–Cherkessia, Russian Federation. The site is tentativ ...
*
North Church (Alania) North Church (russian: Северный Зеленчукский храм), is an early 10th-century Alanian church located in Arkhyz (russian: Архыз), a mountainous region of Karachay-Cherkessia. History North Church served as the Cat ...


External links


History and exploration of the churchPhotographs of the church
{{More citations needed, date=April 2010


Gallery

File:Сентинский храм в лучах восходящего солнца.jpg File:Храм в селении Сенты (Теберда).JPG, View of Senty Church File:SaintsChurch5.jpg, Senty Church File:SaintsChurch8.jpg, Frescoes of Senty church File:SaintsChurch7.jpg, Frescoes of Senty church File:SaintsChurch9.jpg, Apse in Senty Church File:Sysoev - Trip to the rivers Zelenchuk, Kuban and Teberda 1895 05.png, Senty Church in 1895


References list

* ''Beletskiy D.V., Vinogradov A.U. Freski Sentinskogo khrama i problemy istorii alanskogo khristianstva v X veke (Frescoes of Senty Church and problems of history of alan christianity in Xth century),'' «Rossijskaja arkheologija», 2005. * ''Vinogradov A.U., Beletskiy D.V., Nizhnij Arkhyz i Senty: drevnejshije khramy Rossii. Problemy khristianskogo iskusstva Alanii i Severo-Zapadnogo Kavkaza (Nizhniy Arkhyz and Senty: the most ancient churches in Russia. Problems of christian art of Alania and north-west Caucasus. Moscow, 2011. 392 p.'' History of Karachay-Cherkessia Churches in Karachay-Cherkessia 10th-century churches in Russia Medieval Eastern Orthodox church buildings in Russia