2025-08-29
26 分钟I'm in the ruins of an ancient church in Armenia in the baking heat of summer.
So we are here at the Basilica of Yerevik.
I'm around an hour and a half northwest of Armenia's capital, Yerevan, near the border with Turkey.
And I'm here with archaeologist Tsipana Chakerian.
It was built most probably at the 6th century.
It has been studied since the beginning of the 20th century.
Really extraordinary monument.
There are no guides or tourists and we're surrounded by barren scrubland.
But this redstone building has international significance.
This is one of the most important early Christian monuments of Armenia and it most probably had the relics.
So it was an important site of pilgrimage.
Although this building has been here for centuries, it's clearly deteriorating.
But now a unique scanning project using technology like this drone is ensuring it's being preserved
as it is in digital form.
You're listening to the documentary from the BBC World Service.
I'm Julia Paul, and for this episode of Heart and Soul,
which explores stories of spirituality from around the world, I'm in Armenia.
This country is home to some of the world's most significant ancient Christian heritage,
but it's in danger from war, earthquakes and even neglect.
Some sites have already been erased from the map.