CHURCH OF KISH
The oldest church in the Caucasus, now a museum and still a place of pilgrimage for Azeris
This church is probably the oldest in the entire Caucasus. Legend (or history) tells that it was founded in the first century by a disciple of Christ, Saint Elisha, who fled Rome as a result of persecution against Christians. The church was built on the foundations of a former pagan temple, active at the time for over four centuries. Its architecture is typical of the churches of the former Albanian empire, but the church of Kish has a few features, including an additional mini transept and an altar inserted into a semi-elliptical stage. Excavations carried out during the restoration of the church revealed that the original building was rectangular in shape and that its current structure including the altar dates back to the th or th century. The steeple would still be later.
In the courtyard of the church are the models of the other churches of Albania's empire, of which Kish is one of the few survivors. On the inner walls of the church, English signs reveal the history of the restoration, made recently thanks to national and international funds. In the courtyard, a canopy covered crypt allows you to see the bones of a couple of the Middle Ages. The foundations of the pagan temple are also visible in front of the church door.
In the interior, catacombs are in the form of a well where, between the second and the th century, the bodies are inhumait according to funeral rites at the crossroads of Christianity and Paganism.
At the bottom of the church, visitors will have coins slide along a blackened wall with a wish: if the room sticks to the wall (which appears to be visualized in some points), the wish will be realized.
In addition, a tomb dating from the bronze age has a head of goat: symbol of the sun, the goat was worshipped in pagan rites.
Christianity as it was practised in the Kish region was highly stained with animists practices, as can be seen in this church. The arrival of Arabs and Islam led to the imposition of high taxes on Christians in the country, the result was a relatively rapid abandonment of the Catholic religion. The church, although it is now transformed into a museum, remains a pilgrimage site for Azerbaijanis who remain attached to the spirituality of the place, whatever the confession it represents.