DOMUS ECCLESIAE – CHRZEŚCIJAŃSKIE MIEJSCE KULTU

The religious experience of the ancient people was inseparably connected with a sacred space. Ancient religions were primarily religions of worship; however, the center of worship were altars and temples, it means the deity houses, in which the man met with gods. The first Christian communities met at the homes of their members. At the turn of the second and the third century, some houses were transferred to permanent Church’s disposal. These houses, called domus ecclesiae, were already formed as separate, special places, dedicated to Christian prayer meetings. They did not differ in their outside appear-ance from other houses; however, the interior was adapted to the needs of worship. Due to the existing for the first three centuries prohibition of the Christian religion throughout the Roman Empire, church houses were destroyed by the authorities. The oldest domus ecclesiae, which was preserved in a good condi-tion by chance, is a Christian home in Dura-Europos. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it is the oldest outdoor example of an early Christian architecture with the partially preserved paintings.