ʻAgur: ʻAjjur: Kh. el-ʻInab - Church

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Church Name, type, function

Site Name:

ʻAgur: ʻAjjur: Kh. el-ʻInab

Church name:

Church

Functional Type:

Parochial

Church type:

Basilical - Annex\es on the north

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

192.07

621.05

Coordinates, ICS system:

142.07

1,121.05

Location:

Village/Town

Geographical region:

Judean Hills

Distance from nearest bishop-seat:

8 km (Eleutheropolis).

Provincial affiliation:

Palaestina I

Bishopric:

Eleutheropolis

Source of knowledge

Archaeological remains

Surveyors:

Name	Date
Conder C.R., Kitchener H.H.	1874

Excavated site

Excavators:

Name	Date
Gofna R.	1957

Bibliograpy:

Ovadiah, R. and Ovadiah, A., 1987

Avi-Yonah, M., Cohen, R. and Ovadiah, A., 1993

Bagatti, B., 2002

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

The excavated part was mainly the southern and the eastern sections of the basilica. A part of the northern wall of the atrium, the narthex, two aisles-colonnades, a bema and an apse. A small room with a plastered floor contained a baptismal font. According to Bagatti (2002: 125-6), it adjoined the northern wall of the church; according to the NEAEHL Vol. 2 (1992), 803 (authored by Avi-Yonah and Ovadiah; Hebrew), it was adjoining on the south. The exterior dimensions of the church - 19x13 m. The plan published by Ovadiah (reproduced here at the absence of any other), seems to be wrong. See Bagatti's comment (2002: 125).

Description

Illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Figures

Atrium:

Only a part of a northern wall of an atrium was exposed. The atrium was paved with coarse white mosaic.

Narthex:

Partialy exposed on the north.

Nave:

The nave is 7 m wide and separated from the aisles with two rows of columns (3 in the row). It was paved with mosaic with geometric motives. One column, 3m high, was standing in situ.

Aisles:

The aisles are 3 m wide.

Bema, chancel screen and apse:

The church had a semicircular external apse 2.7 m in radius. It was paved with coarse white mosaic.

Small finds

Small finds:

Category	Description
Other	A small marble sarcophagus (used apparently as a reliquary).
Coins	14 coins (one coin was dated to the beginning of the 5th century and the rest - to the last quarter of the 4th century).

Detailed description

Structure

Orientation:

Facing east

Atrium:

Yes

Narthex:

Yes

Aisles:

Number of nave columns in a row:

Total	Extant in S	Extant in N
6	3	3

East end:

External apse, round

Church Head/Chevet:

dead end aisles (mon-aps III)

Central Apse Category:

apsidal

Ciborium:

A 1.75 m high marble column might had belonged to a ciborium, rather than to a gallery.

Apse shape:

Hemispherical

Cult of relics

Reliquiaries: shapes and contents:

Sarcophagus-like, without a lid.

Upper galleries

Galleries description:

A complete marble column 1.75 m high was found in the north aisle suggesting a possibility of a gallery above it. But it might had belonged to a ciborium.

Attached structures

Annex/es on the north:

See below, under baptistery.

Annex/es on the south:

See below, under baptistery.

Baptistery:

Simple rectangular room

Baptistery description:

A small room with a plastered floor contained a baptismal font. According to Bagatti (2002125-6), it adjoined the northern wall of the church; according to the NEAEHL Vol. 2, p. 803 (authored by Avi-Yonah and Ovadiah), it was adjoining on the south.

Architectural Evolution

Phase 1
Abandonment

Dating material:

The church was dated to the end of 4th - beginning of 5th century according to the coins found in the bema area.

Phase date

Century:

4th-5th c.

Phase date

Century:

Unknown