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Amastarism t1_jac3twv wrote

Everyone is commenting "how?", but the question in my head, is why?! Just build it on a flat piece of land like a normal person. This is a silly place.

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Drunkcodes OP t1_jac47tn wrote

Somethings are meant to push the curiosity in us. Every building shouldn't be normal building, some are meant to be special.

Some buildings/paintings/sculptures are meant to keep a message alive for centuries.

For the "why", maybe it was for security or for religious reasons.

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Hanzilol t1_jachbaz wrote

What message? "We have resources to waste"?

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I-seddit t1_jadgr3w wrote

Let's see about that. It has lasted for 1600 years so far. How long do you think your house will last?
Doesn't sound like a waste to me.

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abiostudent3 t1_jacksec wrote

Yes. That's the point of beautiful cathedrals of any religion. It's a way to project power and inspire awe.

After all, if their god can afford such luxurious temples on earth, *surely they must be the right one with a glorious afterlife! (Not to mention that religion has always tried to gain influence and political power, and an ostentatious display of resources certainly doesn't hurt that.)

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Archtarius t1_jacb63q wrote

These kind of monastries are built in Roman Era where Christianity just begun so it wasnt accepted in Rome as a religion so any christians would be hunted down by Romans,

The monastries are hidden in mountains to hide the monks and christians from Romans

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Stroomschok t1_jad8chc wrote

This is from around 400AD. At that point Christianity was the state religion for the (two) Roman Empire(s).

Building a monastery like this requires lot of expert craftsmen and resources and is not something early Christianity could even hope to afford while it was still being oppressed two centuries earlier.

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csky t1_jace4ul wrote

If you have seen the province you would understand. There is no flat land.

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Stroomschok t1_jad6ryh wrote

No, it's an awesome place for bunch of old monks to protect themselves against raiders. Medieval invaders simply lacked the tools to make assaulting a place like this viable.

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