About the Dura-Europos house church:
The Dura-Europos church (or Dura-Europos house church) is probably the earliest identified Christian house church. It is believed to have been an ordinary house that was converted to a place of worship between 233 and 256 AD, and appears to have been built following the Durene tradition, which is distinguished by the use of mud brick and a layout consisting of rooms encircling a courtyard, which was characteristic of most other homes built in the Dura-Europos region.
The church was uncovered by a French-American team of archaeologists during two excavation campaigns in the city from 1931-32. The frescoes were removed after their discovery and are preserved at Yale University Art Gallery.
One of these, located next to the baptismal font, instructed initiates that they were entering into a new spiritual relationship with God. The scene is the procession of several elegantly dressed women carrying torches and bowls in procession. Additional fragmentary figures from the north and east walls indicate that there were originally ten women depicted, moving from right to left through the space just as the initiates would have done. Art historians are uncertain as to What they are approaching…possibly the empty sepulcher of Christ on Easter morning, or the tent of the heavenly bridegroom, adorned by two stars, perhaps representing angels.
Another one of these is the image of The Good Shepherd, symbolizing Christ and his followers…..a fundamental element of early Christian iconography. Situated directly above the baptismal font, the scene depicts a familiar scene for Christians: a shepherd—with a huge ram on his shoulders—watching over his sheep.
Initiates underwent the ritual of Baptism in this room.
The house church here was less famous, smaller, and more-modestly decorated than the nearby Dura-Europos synagogue, though there are many similarities between them.
The church has reportedly been destroyed sometime during the recent war.