Lullingstone Roman Villa in Kent was built in around AD 80. World renowned, it’s home to a Christian chapel dating from AD 360, >200 years before Augustine of Canterbury arrived on our shores.
The wall paintings (housed in the British Museum) are of international importance, depicting worshippers with outstretched arms in prayer alongside the Chi-Rho symbol (a monogram of Christ’s name).
Because the Roman Empire officially stopped persecuting Christians after the Edict of Milan in 313 AD, the Lullingstone wall paintings represent one of the earliest, visual declarations of Christian faith found in Britain.
Note: read information on the English Heritage website before visiting.
Photographs CM 09/2026
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Ancient site.