World
Church in Syria widely considered oldest in the world; Dura-Europos is a historical landmark
Dura-Europos Church is widely considered to be the oldest in existence.
More specifically, Dura-Europos is known as the world’s oldest Christian house church, as it was originally constructed as a home before converting into a church.
A house church is defined as a place where people gather for worship together in a private home.
Dura-Europos Church is considered to be the first house church in existence. (Pictures From History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
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Since Dura-Europos was not originally constructed as a church, there are historians that don’t believe it should hold that status that it widely does.
That said, there are still many sources that credit Dura-Europos with the “world’s oldest” title. The church is named the oldest church building by Guinness World Records.
The church was built in the city of Dura-Europos, near the village of Salihiyah in modern-day Syria. The church was built somewhere between 233 and 256 AD, according to Christianity.com
In the 1920s and 1930s, a group of American and French archaeologists, led by Yale University and the French Academy of Inscriptions and Letters, excavated the area where thousands of artifacts, including frescoes, were unearthed. Fresco painting is a “method of painting water-based pigments on freshly applied plaster, usually on wall surfaces,” according to Britannica.
Dura-Europos Church was built in modern-day Syria, but is now in ruins. (PHAS/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
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Excavating the city led to the discovery of an unearthed synagogue, a Christian building and Mithraeum, plus over 12,000 artifacts that are preserved at Yale University today, according to the Ivy League’s website.
The paintings found during excavation are among the artifacts that now live at Yale University and are considered some of the oldest Christian paintings ever discovered.
One of these is a piece that was found in the baptistery, which was discovered in three fragments.
Today, the church is left in ruins in an area controlled by ISIS, according to Christianity.com.
One of many pieces of religious artwork found in Dura-Europos was the piece pictured here. The photo displays one of three fragments that were found. (Sepia Times/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
As for the oldest church in the United States, many sources consider it to be San Miguel Chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The Catholic Church dates back to 1610. The chapel has been reconstructed many times since it’s creation and is still in operation today.
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May 16, 2026
World
WHO declares Ebola outbreak in Central Africa a public health emergency after 80 suspected deaths
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The World Health Organization declared an Ebola outbreak in Central Africa an international public health emergency on Sunday after dozens of suspected deaths were reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring Uganda.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, does not meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency, the WHO said.
The declaration follows reports of 80 suspected deaths, eight laboratory-confirmed cases and 246 suspected cases as of Saturday across at least three health zones in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including Bunia, Rwampara and Mongbwalu.
The development comes as global health officials continue monitoring a rare hantavirus outbreak tied to the MV Hondius cruise ship, which left multiple passengers and crew members sick, and caused three deaths.
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A health worker sprays disinfectant on a colleague after working at an Ebola treatment center in Beni, eastern Congo, on Sept. 9, 2018. (Al-hadji Kudra Maliro/AP)
As of May 13, the WHO said 11 hantavirus cases had been identified in connection with the cruise outbreak, including eight confirmed cases, two probable cases and one inconclusive case.
In neighboring Uganda’s capital, Kampala, the WHO said two apparently unrelated laboratory-confirmed Ebola cases — including one death — were reported Friday and Saturday involving people who had traveled from the DRC.
Another laboratory-confirmed case was reported in the DRC capital of Kinshasa involving a person returning from Ituri province.
Initial tests suggested the outbreak does not involve the Ebola Zaire strain, which caused Congo’s devastating 2018–2020 epidemic that killed more than 1,000 people.
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Health workers wearing protective suits tend to an Ebola victim in an isolation tent in Beni, Congo, on July 13, 2019. (Jerome Delay/AP)
However, unlike Ebola-Zaire strains, there are currently no approved vaccines or therapeutics for the Bundibugyo strain, which the WHO described as making the outbreak “extraordinary.”
The WHO warned the outbreak could be larger than currently reported due to the high positivity rate among initial samples and the growing number of suspected cases.
The outbreak also poses a public health risk to other countries, the WHO said, urging nations to activate emergency-management systems and implement cross-border screening measures.
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Ambulances parked at Bunia General Referral Hospital following confirmation of an Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain in Bunia, Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo, May 16, 2026. (REUTERS/Victoire Mukenge)
Ebola is a highly contagious and often fatal disease spread through bodily fluids, including blood, vomit and semen. Symptoms can include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and internal bleeding.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently said Congo has a “strong track record” responding to Ebola outbreaks while announcing the release of $500,000 in emergency funding to support containment efforts.
The WHO said it will convene an emergency committee to review recommendations for how affected countries should respond.
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Health workers dressed in protective gear begin their shift at an Ebola treatment center in Beni, Congo, on July 16, 2019. (Jerome Delay/AP)
The organization did not recommend border closures or travel restrictions.
Congo has now recorded 17 Ebola outbreaks since the virus was first identified in the country in 1976.
Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr and Brittany Miller, along with Reuters, contributed to this report.
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