Senty Church

Senty Church (Russian: Сентинский храм) is a Byzantine-style limestone church situated in the Greater Caucasus, on the left bank of the Teberda River, near the village of Nizhnyaya Teberda, 18 km south of Karachaevsk, Karachay-Cherkessia, Russian Federation.

The diminutive building, about ten meters in height, is notable as one of the earliest churches in Russia. Like the Shoana Church and the Arkhyz Cathedral, it is believed to have been constructed in connection with missionary activities of Patriarch Nicholas Mystikos in the first quarter of the 10th century. There are traces of frescoes from the 11th century. The church was much altered at the urging of the nuns from a nearby monastery in the 19th century. Near the church lie the ruins of an ancient mausoleum.

See also

*Shoana Church
*Arkhyz

References

* [http://www.alanica.ru/hram/sen.htm History and exploration of the church]
* [http://www.alanica.ru/hram/fres.htm Frescoes of Senty Church]
* [http://www.dombayinfo.ru/foto_karachay/gallery26032007 Photographs of the church]