There are fifteen free standing columns in the basilica and in the atrium. Also two columns are attached and engaged with the western wall and one column -- with the eastern wall (to the left side of the apse) of the basilica, so that the half-columns are formed. Pairs of the identical columns flank the main entrance into the basilica from the atrium and the entrance into the baptistery. The apse is flanked by double half-columns. All of these are collected from lathe-made drums of different height, 0.55-0.60 m. in diameter. The traces of the lathe are preserved at some drums as well as the traces of claw chisel. Colonnades are leaning on the low stylobata. The cistern in the atrium was found full of column bases, capitals, and column drums, all originating in the North Church (put into the southern rooms of the church). They were toppled into the cistern by the Arab conquerors or by squatters. All the architectural members were carved from soft limestone. Wiegand believed this kind of stone was of later date and did not belong to the church. Also some of them could be not later, but earlier (Roman period). The north-eastern external corner of the basilica is adorned with the corner pilaster, receiving a form of the pillar, leaning at the plain base. Five drums with the attached brackets were found in the cistern in the cistern in the atrium. One bracket was decorated by a molding with a twisted rope pattern, common in Nabatean art. The main decorative element of this bracket is a row of decorative arches: two and a half arches on the long side, and two arches on each of the shorter sides (Rosenthal-Heginbottom 1982: Pis. 46c, 51a,b,c, 71). The second bracket (No. 3037) was decorated with the successive bands of trefoil leaves, bead-and-reel (A. Negev called them metopes and monoglyphs), a ribbon with leafy branches at the loops, and dentils at the bottom. The front side is decorated by a single trefoil with a ribbon and a bunch of grapes (?). At the bottom is a 'poť out of which emerges a large wreath (?) with an inscribed cross (?). To the left of the 'poť a four-legged animal, to the right -- a small tree. The short sides are decorated in two registers: band of trefoils and interlacing ribbon with leafy branches. A string of bead-and-reals tops the decoration. The third bracket is more or less identical to the second, though the upper register is mostly lost. The brackets were decorated as the cornices, but in quasi-Roman style. One bracket with decoration was attached not to a column drum but to a building block (reconstructed in the southern wall of the basilica, opposite the first free-standing column). It was supposed that they supported the wooden beams of the roof.
The decorative style of some members from the cistern looks very authentically to the Early Christian period. Their sizes fit the other architectural details of the church. As it can be seen at the site, they were partially restored and thus placed in their original positions (bases and some drums), partially put into the room attached to the church from the south. The bases were emerged with the column drums and leaned on separate square plinths (0.25-0.30 m high and 0.55 m. square). The bases are quasi-Attic, crudely made on the lathe, comprising two almost equal in their width tori (upper and lower) and scotia between them, added sometimes by plain bands of different height.
In the small room to the south of the apse a tall rectangular niche is worth of mention (high up in the northern wall). The base and the cornice of the niche were made of beautifully profiled Nabatean architectural members. A 'moulded spring-course' was published by Woolley and Lawrence and after by Wiegand. Negev has found many of the identical segments in the debris of the basilica.They could have belonged to the half-dome of the basilica apse. The members are decorated with the dog-tooth pattern row, twisted rope motif and dentils, with ancillary plain strips, or fillets.
In the small room to the south of the apse a tall rectangular niche is worth of mention (high up in the northern wall). The base and the cornice of the niche were made of beautifully profiled Nabatean architectural members. A 'moulded string-course' was published by Woolley and Lawrence and after by Wiegand. Negev has found many of the identical segments in the debris of the basilica.They could have belonged to the half-dome of the basilica apse. The members are decorated with the dog-tooth pattern row, twisted rope motif and dentils, with ancillary plain strips, or fillets.
Woolley and Lawrence published a 'carved capital in soft limestone of door-jamb in room W. of north church'. It was depicted as having a four-petaled rosette with round 'nail heads' at its corners, and possibly palm leaves at the sides. Negev in 90s of the 20th century rediscovered this doorpost capital on the surface outside the North Church. It can be added that the cross is placed upon the extending medallion. Near it more one medallion, partially preserved and decorated with the twisted rope pattern.
lintels, jambs, thresholds
Three doors in the wall between the atrium and the basilica. Jambs of the southern door are of good workmanship. They are carved from well-drafted stones, taken from a Nabatean building. The broad recess of this door (0.80 m. wide) accommodated the wooden frame of a wooden door (?). The central portal is wider: 1.92 m. The doorjambs consist of two flanking columns, standing on a base with simple moldings. Most probably, the columns are also Nabatean spolia. Columns could be originally masked by doorjambs made of rectangular blocks of stone, diminishing the portal, but of this nothing remains. The northern doorjamb of the northern door has not been preserved; it was about 1 m. wide. The entrance into the baptistery (0.90 m.) was also flanked by two columns (0.60 m. D), partially sunken into the masonry of the wall. these. The columns were not leaned on bases. On the drums Nabatean building marks were found, indicating that they were spolia.
In the southern wall of the basilica window sills with partially preserved frames were observed. In their construction Nabatean members were used, these are plain cornices of wide pilaster caps, with several rows of oblique moldings and fillets.
The T-shaped chancel screen, according to the preserved square sockets in the bema, had twelve rectangular posts, arranged irregularly. Two corner columns were also used for the supporting of the panels. Fragments of the chancel screen posts carved from marble were still in situ in 1997.
Several fragments of the chancel screen panels carved from grayish marble were found. 1. Two fragments form a member of one panel, decorated with the Maltese cross, with the fleur-de-lis between the lateral bars and inscribed into the laurel wreath. The wreath is tied with the weaving branches of ivy with the heart-shaped leaf. Only part of the composition is preserved, but it is well known by the other numerous parallels. 2-3. Two fragments of the chancel screen panels, decorated with the peopled scrolls motif, with two medallions partially preserved at each of them, but probably there were more (this implies a considerable and unusual length of the screen panels). Medallions are comprised from pointed acanthus leaves, curving clockwise and counterclockwise in the neighboring medallions. The central motifs are six-petalled star with dots at the ends of the arms and a cross composed from four fleur-de-lis. From the intersections of the medallions branches with pomegranates are springing as well as fleur-de-lis and acanthus leave. The upper and lower parts are framed with plain moldings.
A small table leg inscribed with the names of John and Elijah (in the southern room of basilica).
The rectangular base of the ambo (1.00 x1.10 m.), 0.30 m. high and made of a slab of soft limestone, is situated on the Gospel side. Probably, the square plinth with the square socket and the befitting round colonnette with the emerged rectangular trunk were a part of the ambo. The colonnette is decorated with the wide band of numerous horizontal strips, carved by lathe, while the upper is smoothed. These two details are preserved among the others in the southern room of the church (primary from the cistern).
Negev (Negev 1981 (Greek Inscriptions): 40, no. 37, Photo 33) had published two capitals of the colonnetes, decorated with a band with short vertical flutes and topped by thick sqaure abacus (intended for inserting it into the upper plate). They might be attributed as ambo legs (according to the identical complete colonnettes, preserved in Bethlehem basilica).
There are large stone slabs in the second intercolumnia of the southern aisle. Prof. Avi-Yonah previously had suggested that they were coverstones of a tomb (0.95 x 1.50 m.). The northernmost of them is decorated by a six-petaled rosette with six crosses between the petals. A. Negev had lifted these slabs and found nothing underneath. He concluded that this slab probably supported items of the church's furniture. A building rectangular block was found. It was decorated with a six-petaled rosette within a circle in the center and a frame with the repeating diagonal small crosses inside the squares. Small section of wall on the east from the baptistery font was a part of a Nabatean building. During the Byzantine period it was decorated by two shallow pilasters and an engraved cross.
The floor of the basilica and atrium was paved with small flagstones of hard limestone. After removing of the flagstones, it became obvious that many of the stones have exquisite profiles, so apparently they are Nabatean spolia.
The whole structure of baptismal font, cover and arms as well as the basin itself were revetted with the grayish marble slabs.