Jerusalem (Extra mural) - ST. STEPHEN

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Church Name, type, function

Site Name:

Jerusalem (Extra mural)

Identification:

The church, dedicated to St. Stephan, was inaugurated by empress Eudocia on June 15, 460 CE.

Church name:

ST. STEPHEN

Dedication:

Dedicated to St. Stephen whose bones were interred there.

Functional Type:

Monastic

Church type:

Basilical - Basilica with an annexed chapel

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

221.81

632.43

Coordinates, ICS system:

171.81

1,132.40

Location:

Para-urban

Geographical region:

Jerusalem (extra-mural)

Topographical location:

About 350 m north of Damascus Gate, outside the city wall.

Distance from Roman roads:

Near to the main road leading from Jerusalem north to Neapolis

Provincial affiliation:

Palaestina I

Bishopric:

Jerusalem

Source of knowledge

HideLiterary sources

Text number	Summary
1	Mention of the church of Saint Stephen built by Empress Eudocia, from an itinerary of ca. AD 518-530.
2	Empress Eudocia appoints Gabriel abbot of the Church of Stephen the protomartyr, AD 456.
3	In preparation for her death, Empress Eudocia arranges for the consecration of the unfinished Chruch of Saint Stephen on 15 June 460.
4	On Gabriel, priest of the Church of the Resurrection and abbot of Saint Stephen for twenty-four years, AD 456-480/1.
5	Mention of the basilica and tomb of St Stephen built by Empress Eudocia, from an itinerary of ca. AD 570.
6	Mention of Saint Stephen's tomb among the churches of Jerusalem, from an official report ordered in AD 808.
7	Eudocia raised up a very great sanctuary for Stephen outside the walls of Jerusalem and was buried there.

HideEpigraphy

Text number	Summary
1	Dedicatory inscription on the side of marble altar table, found in the debris of the apse.
2	List of relics deposited by Eudocia Augusta engraved on a marble slab, discovered in the vicinity of the church.
3	Slabs bearing quotations from Psalms (CIIP I.2 nos. 889-891) and epitaph of Nonnus, deacon of the monastery of the Anastasis (no. 888), in an underground tomb, as well as another funeral inscription (no. 892) and a graffito (no. 893) most likely to belong to St. Stephen’s Church, not included.
4	Small fragment of a lost mosaic inscription with a simple geometric pattern.

Archaeological remains

Excavated site

Excavators:

Name	Date
Matthieu	1881, 1883, 1885
Lagrange and Vincent	1894

History:

For a detailed historical survey, including literary sources, see Vincent and Abel, Jerusalem Nouvelle 1914: 743-804 and Pringle 2007, no. 359. The present church, inaugurated in 1900, was erected on the foundations of the Byzantine church.

Bibliograpy:

de Vogüé, M. , 1860	332-4
Merrill, S., 1883
Merrill, S., 1885
de Vaux, R., 1886
de Vaux, R., 1888
Schick, C., 1888
Schick, C., 1889
Schick, C., 1890
Lewis, T. H., 1891	211-8, 298, Plans 1-7
Lagrange, M. J., 1894
Lagrange, M. J., 1907
Vailhé, S., 1907
Lagrange, M. J., 1908
Leclercq, H., 1922
Vincent, L. H. and Abel, F. M., 1914
Ovadiah, A., 1970
Pringle, D. and Leach, P. E., 2007	no. 359.

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

A mono-apsidal basilical church 39.70x21m in dimensions (external), with an annexed chapel on the north. The apse, 5m in diameter, was polygonal, external. The aisles, separated from the nave by 6 columns, terminated in dead ends on the east. A square stone-paved atrium on the west, 26.50 m on each side, surrounded by mosaic paved porticos 3m wide on all sides. A water cistern under the atrium. A 3m deep crypt under the western facade. According to Lagrange empress Eudocia was interred there.

Description

Illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Figures

St. Stephen, Plan. Vincent and Abel, JN, Vol. 2, Pl. LXXVII

Atrium:

Poorly preserved remains of an atrium. But it could be determined that it was square, 26.50 m on each side, stone paved and surrounded by mosaic paved porticos 3m wide on all sides. A water cistern under the atrium.

Façade and entries:

The basilica had three entrances in its western wall.

Lateral walls:

An opening in the northern wall led from the northern aisle to the western unit of the northern annex. Another opening was discerned in the southern wall of the basilica, but no annex was uncovered there.

Nave:

The basilica (39.7 X 21 m) was divided by two rows of 6 columns (2 of them have been found in situ) into a nave and two aisles.

Aisles:

Mosaic paved.

Bema, chancel screen and apse:

The apse (5 m in diameter) is external, polygonal. U-shaped bema with the remains of an altar at the apse chord. The bema was 0.7m (two stairs) elevated relative to the nave. It penetrated 10.30 m. into the nave. Slots for screen posts and plates were deliniated the bema. A fragment of the altar base, with three impressions, mark the location of the altar. Another fragment was also uncovered, indicating that the altar was 3x2m in dimensions and standing on 6 legs. Several fragments of the table plate were uncovered in the apse, bearing a Greek dedicatory inscription mentioning the "guardians of the venerale wood". The reference, seemingly, is to the wardians of the Holy Cross (see under Epigraphy). According to another interpretation the reference is to those in charge of knoking on the wood beam, calling for the prayers.

A box-like stone reliquary, 0.37x0.62m, 0.40m high, with three compartments, might had served as a sub-altar reliquary, but this is not certain.

Fragments of marble columns suggest the existance of a ciborium 2.60m high according to Vincent. A hexagonal ambo base with six depressions for the legs were uncovered as well.

A circular structure, interpreted by Lagrange as talassa for collecting water while serving the altar, was found nearby, to the west. A marble plate, 0.65x1m in dimensions, with narrow incised channels were attached to it on the east, serving for drainage and interpreted by Lagrange as thalassa.

Lateral spaces:

Dead-ends aisles; no lateral spaces.

Crypt: See in the Detailed Description, crypt

Small finds

Comments, discussion and summary:

A water cistern, 8x11m in dimensions, 5m deep, with plastered walls, off-axis relative to the axis of the basilica, seems to have been rock-cut after the destruction of the church, according to the finds retrieved therein, including Arab coins, Mediaeval "fire granads" and Damascus fiance of the XV century.

Detailed description

Structure

Orientation:

Facing east

Materials applied (walls):

Limestone

Marble

Materials applied (roofing):

tiles

timber

Atrium:

Yes

Water cistern:

Yes

Narthex:

Aisles:

Number of nave columns in a row:

Total
6

Capital types:

Basket

Corinthian

East end:

External apse, polygonal

Church Head/Chevet:

dead end aisles (mon-aps III)

Central Apse Category:

apsidal

Bema type:

U shaped without lateral openings

Bema type text:

Slots for fixing the chancel screens and posts are delineating the bema.

Elevation of Bema above nave:

2 steps up

Altar remains:

plate

imprints

base plate

Altar type:

Marble, table like

Altar location:

On the apse cord

Ciborium:

Two column fragments of white marble with bleu veins suggest its existence; 2.60m in total height according to Vincent.

Ambo:

Yes

Ambo remains:

base plate

Ambo description:

Hexagonal ambo base, 1.14m in diameter, with six depressions indicating its legs.

Ambo location:

Ambo placement:

On an hexagonal slab

Apse elevation:

Flush with the bema

Apse shape:

Hemispherical

Crypt

Accessibility and description:

To the west of the facade; running north-south, 3m deep.

Function:

Location of Eudocia's tomb according to Lagrange.

Cult of relics

Reliquiaries: shapes and contents:

A box like reliquary, 0.62x0.37m, 0.40m high, with three compartments, might had served as a sub-altar reliquary, but this is not certain.

Burial loci

Burials loci:

Various disturbed tombs were uncovered mainly under the atrium. One of them with finds dated to the 5th c.

Attached structures

Annex/es on the north:

See below, under Prothesis chapel / diakonikon

Annex/es on the south:

According to K. Schick the door in the southern wall of the basilica opened in, to the aisle; hence this opening could not lead to any southern annex; it led outside.

Prothesis chapel / Diakonikon:

Quadrangular chapel

Prothesis chapel / Diakonikon description:

The northern annex was 27m long and 6m wide. It is attached on the north, mosaic paved, accessed from the northern aisle and perhaps also from the west. Its eastern end was disturbed by a later cistern, so its shape - whether apsidal or quadrangular, cannot be known. The western part is mosaic paved, 5.80x9m in dimensions. The sill of the opening connecting between the annex and the northern aisle is located beyond the eastern end of the mosaic carpet. The annex extended farther east beyond the said cistern, but it is not known if the eastern part formed a separate unit (in any case, the said mosaic carpet does not extend as far. According to Vincent, the tomb of empress Eudocia might have been located in the annex.

Architectural Evolution

Phase 1
Phase 2
Abandonment

General outline:

Basilical church with external, polygonal apse. The church was a part of a large monastery. The church was inaugurated by Empress Eudocia on June 15, 460 CE.

Dating material:

According to Cyril of Scythopolis and Evagrius, the church was constructed by order of Empress Eudocia and inaugurated on June 15, 460 CE.

Phase date

Century:

5th c.

Within century:

Second half

General outline:

A small chapel, perhaps in the atrium of the basilica.

Dating material:

Although it is not mentioned in the literary sources referring to the Persian conquest, it seems to have been set on fire then. A thick layer of ashes was uncovered in the excavations. According to Saewulf (1102-3), the very beautiful church that had formerly been built there had been completely destroyed by the Muslims (ch. VI. 21, PPTS. IV . 21. 44). Patriarch Sophronius built instead a smaller oratory, perhaps in the atrium of the basilica. Several feasts are mentioned there by the Georgian Lectionary and Calendar, including the commemoration day of empress Eudocia (Oct. 19) and her grand-daughter (Sept. 10). It remained a burial place for Christians martyrs and soldiers put to death by the Arabs. The Commemoratorium (808 CE), mentions there just two clerics and fifteen lepers. It remained a Christian property until the Crusaders, when a new chapel was built. See Vincent and Abel 1914, 754-5, 763-4 and Pringle, no. 359.

Phase date

Century:

7th c.

Within century:

Mid

General outline:

A new church was rebuilt by the crusaders in the 12th century. See also Schick 1995: 350-351.

Phase date

Century:

12th c.

Effects of the Persian Invasion:

Damaged and restored

Post Arab conquest history:

Modified