Byzantine Church

The Byzantine basilical church in the far western reaches of the site was the first major discovery after the Jerusalem Cave. The impressive church complex composed of the following: a basilica with ornate mosaic floors, a baptistery containing a basin surrounded by a marble screen, an oil press, a wine press, and a burial cave (crypt). In 2011, the renewed excavations at the site uncovered the church’s large stone-paved entrance courtyard (atrium), flanked by columns on all sides and featuring a deep-water cistern and connecting water basin. Patrons would stop at the atrium to wash their feet before entering the church. The atrium consists of a stone-paved entrance courtyard, measuring 65 x 100 feet which led to six steps to ascend to the chapel.

The entrance hall, called a “narthex” was generally brightly lit and full of movement in and out and led to the apse. The entrance chamber featured three doorways with the main hallway flanked by five columns on each side, dividing the chapel into three halls. Auxiliary rooms at the north and south included a baptistery and a hall with an altar, and other rooms for which the purpose remains unknown.

Apart from the atrium, the church is paved in its entirety with colorful mosaics featuring rich fauna, floral, and geometric designs, including a man laying his hands on the head of another, and a prominent image of two fishermen in a boat enclosed in a medallion. A total of four Greek inscriptions were also discovered in the mosaic floors: two were dedicatory in nature, while two are taken from Psalms. During the Muslim caliph in 724 AD it was deemed sacrilegious to have any face within a holy place. The result was the destruction of any image having a face. This also occurred at the Byzantine basilical church at Beit Lehi. Interesting though, instead of destroying the images a painstaking effort was undertaken to “rearrange” the tiles to make the faces indistinguishable. Thus, the spirit of the law was fulfilled without destroying the mosaics. The church and Christian community remained active during this period. A cemetery with 57 tombs from the Islamic period was found on the atrium.

In the floor of the baptistery room is a lead drain leading to a cistern. Finding a baptistery, large enough for baptism by immersion, is unusual. Adjacent to the church on the south and near the baptistery is an olive press. Olive presses are common, but to find one so near a Christian church is unusual. The baptistery has an oil and water pipe entering the room, again uncommon. To the north of the church a wine press and vat was discovered. It is believed that the Byzantine church was built on the remains of a more ancient structure. Such an undertaking to excavate under the church would be expensive and will need to wait until a later date.