Khirbet el-Messani; Khirbet el-Maṣani; Khirbet al-Meṣani; Ḥorvat Miṣna - NEW ST. ZACHARIA (?)

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Church Name, type, function

Site Name:

Khirbet el-Messani; Khirbet el-Maṣani; Khirbet al-Meṣani; Ḥorvat Miṣna

Identification:

Kh. el Messani; Kh. el Masani; al-Massani; el-Messani'; Ḥ. Miẓna. The remains were first recorded by Abel, who identified it as a church dedicated to prophet Zacharias. A first plan of the remains were prepared by Schneider in 1933. The site was surveyed again by Kloner and by Mazor, who had also excavated the eastern part of the church. Based on the entry in the Georgian Calendar of the Church of Jerusalem, Abel (1924a: 617), followed by Garitte and Milik, identified the church as New Saint Zacharias. According to the Calendar, on June 10 a "Festival of Zacharia the prophet in the foundation of Priest Sabinus, St. Zacharias the new, at the second milestone (from Jerusalem)" . The distance is right, but the direction is not given in the Calendar. Priest Zebinus (Sabinus) is mentioned several times in the Calendar as the founder of another church, dedicated to the Apostles, on the Mount of Olives. The reliquary, which contained soil or stone from Eleona, may confirm the association between the two churches, thus supporting the identification. It may have been called "New St. Zacharias" because anothe church by this name is located near the village Zakariya in the region of Eleutheropolis. Verhelst suggested to locate New St. Zacharias at Bethany. See also infra, under Cult of Relics. For the identification see: Feissel, Chronique 233 no. 744, Abel, RB 33, 1924, 617 no. 31; A. Schneider, OC 30, 1933, 159f.; Garitte, Calendar 246-7.; J. Milik, RB 67, 1960, 570 no 52; S. Verhelst, Proche-Orient Chrétien 54, 2004, 54 no. 57

Church name:

NEW ST. ZACHARIA (?)

Dedication:

New Saint Zacharia

Functional Type:

Monastic

Church type:

Basilical

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

21,264.00

59,225.00

Coordinates, ICS system:

17,050.00

113,493.00

Location:

Para-urban

Geographical region:

Jerusalem (Greater Jerusalem)

Topographical location:

Southern slope of the Shu'fat Ridge, north of Nahal Zofim, Ramot Park area

Distance from nearest bishop-seat:

3 km (Jerusalem)

Distance from nearest settlement:

3 km north-west of Jerusalem

Distance from Roman roads:

Not far to the west from the ancient Neapolis-Jerusalem road

Provincial affiliation:

Palaestina I

Bishopric:

Jerusalem

Source of knowledge

HideEpigraphy

Text number	Summary
1	Fragment of limestone reliquary bearing the misspelled name Eleona, found in a side room of the church.

Archaeological remains

Surveyed site

Surveyors:

Name	Date
Conder and Kitchener	1871-1877
Abel	1924
Schneider, surveyed church and chapel	1933
Mazor	1984
Kloner	2001

Excavated site

Excavators:

Name	Date
G. Mazor, A. Kloner.	1984

History:

Probably, the compound was a monastery, but this identification is doubtful. It could be a village church as well.

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

The basilical church (28.35x15.4 m), was partly rock-cut and partly built of limestone ashlars. Located in a larger architectural complex (32.9x28.85 m in dimensions), interpreted as a monastery. The north and central apses are hewn in the bedrock and are preserved to an appreciable height; the south space is a partially preserved open pastophorium. Remnants of columns were uncovered only in 1984. Six rock depressions in the northern rock-wall suggest the existance of a gallery with a rock-cut room above the northern apse. A narthex is suggested on the west. In the northern gallery there were hewn stairs, with five niches on the facade of the top stair. To the south of the church there is a pool with rock-cut grades going down against its northern wall.

Description

Illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Photos

Messani, Apse and bema, photo, Adawi and Arviv, Qadmoniot (161), 2021, 48

Messani, rock-cut room above northern apse, Adawi and Arviv, Qadmoniot (161), 2021, 49

North apse with baptistery, Adawi and Arviv, Qadmoniot (161), 2021, 49

Messani, mosaic floor in bema, Adawi and Arviv, Qadmoniot (161), 2021, 49

Figures

Messani, Apse and bema, tombs, Adawi and Arviv, Qadmoniot (161), 2021, 48

Atrium:

The western end of the church is not known for certain. But due to topographical restrains the atrium might had extended on the south (marked D in Mazor's plan), surrounding the water reservoir.

Narthex:

Its existance is suggested on the western side, being 3.25 m wide.

Façade and entries:

This part of the church was not excavated yet.

Nave:

Estimated to be 22.15 x 7.50 m in dimensions.

Aisles:

Only the eastern end of the northern aisle is preserved, rock-cut. The estimated dimensions are 19 x 4.20.

Bema, chancel screen and apse:

Only this eastern part of the church and th area to its north were excavated. Depth of the central apse: 2.80 m, its chord: 3.9 m; depth of the northern apse: 1.3 m, the chord: 2.3 m, its height: 3.05m. The synthronon (0.38 m high and 0.45 m deep) single bench is rock-cut against the central apse. The walls of the apse covered with plaster bearing geometric patterns in green and violet. The floor of the central apse was paved with stone slabs. A depression (T-shaped) held a reliquary. The altar seemingly stood above. Two, rock-cut semi-domes are partially preserved above the central and the northern apses. Only the northern, hewn part of the central semi-dome survived. Its upper part was stone-built (the spring-corse is about 1.75 m above the floor level). The finishing layer of white plaster covers both semi-domes.

Lateral spaces:

The church seems to have been tri-apsidal. Only the northern apse, rock-cut, was preserved. A W-E elongated graded depression uncovered in the floor of the northern apse was interpreted as a baptismal font. Remains of two superimposed mosaic floors were uncovered in the SE corner of the northern aisle, next to the northern apse. No remains of the southern apse were found.

Small finds

Small finds:

Category	Description
Metal objects	A lead mirror plaque in the shape of a rooster (incrustation technique).
Inscription - see under epigraphy	A Greek inscription on a fragment of a reliquary.

Small finds illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Figures

Comments, discussion and summary:

The church was built in an ancient quarry.

Detailed description

Structure

Materials applied (walls):

Limestone

Materials applied (roofing):

timber

Atrium:

Yes

Water cistern:

Yes

Aisles:

Colonnades / Arcades:

Colonnade

East end:

Internal apses

Church Head/Chevet:

second apse on the s

Central Apse Category:

apsidal

Bema type:

U shaped

Altar remains:

no remains

Altar reliquiarium type:

Depression in the floor

Altar location:

Inside the apse

Apse shape:

Hemispherical

Synthronon:

Yes

Synthronon remains:

grades

Synthronon location:

Against the apse

Synthronon description:

One-step synthronon cut in the bedrock (0.38 m high and 0.45 m deep). The remains of the balustrades at both ends also preserved (northern one to a height of 0.55 m). The wall of the apse above the synthronon and the synthronn bench are covered by plaster. The spring-course of the semi-dome protrudes about 1 m above the synthronon bench.

Pastophoria

Pastophoria loci:

Description and function of southern:

Masonry built. Seemingly open, forming the end of the southern aisle; partially preserved.

Lateral Apses Function

Location:

Northern apse description and function:

The northern apse, hewn in the bedrock, held in its floor a baptismal font with a narrow gutter and stairs ascending down from south and north.

Lateral Apses photos and plans:

Illustrative_material

Photos

Messani, northern apse and baptistery. Adawi and Arviv, Qadmoniot 161, 2021, 49

Figures

Messani, Apses and bema, tombs. Adawi and Arviv, Qadmoniot 161, 2021, 48

Cult of relics

Cult of relics loci:

under altar

elsewhere

Reliquiaries: shapes and contents:

A T-shaped depression in the center of the apse held the sub-altar reliquary. Two fragments of a limestone reliquary box were found in it. See also infra, under Burial loci.

Reliquiaries: photo and plans:

Illustrative_material

Photos

Burial loci

Burials loci:

Three tombs were found under the mosaic floor of the bema. Tomb 1, at the NW corner, held four arcosolia. In the eastern one bones of four males and two females were uncovered. The northern arcosolium held bones of a male and of a female. A funnel-like vessel was found above the western arcosolium. Tomb 2, in the center of the bema, held a single trough with bones of a male and female. In addition, the bones of at least two more males and a female were uncovered there. Tomb 3 was rock-cut in the southern part of the bema. The rectangular burial pit was covered by a stone plate decorated on its underside by a cross surrounded by a circle, in relief. A square perforation at the end of one of the cross hands enabled pouring of oil in, or insertion of a metal rod to reach contact with the bones. The tomb held a skeleton with iron rings wrapping his members - neck (4), arms (12-14) and legs (ca. 10). Several square plates or disks were set around his hips. The estimated age is 30-50. A metal cross and wooden pieces of a box that seemingly held few articles belonging to this ascetic monk , including a tiny gold pendant, metal articles, one of them decorated with a bird. Numerous iron nails were also uncovered therein, and 4 coins of the 4th-5th c. Another tomb, 1.7x1/0x0.9 m in dimensions, hidden behind vertical plates, was cut near the western end of the northern wall of the main apse. Few human bones of an individual elder than 16 were uncovered therein. A small burial cave was revealed to the north of the church. It comprised a square chamber (3x3.3 m) with two arcosolia (each 0.5 x 1.2 m) in the northern wall.

Baptism

Baptism photos and plans:

Illustrative_material

Photos

Loci:

Baptismal font with a narrow gutter was rock-cut in the floor of the northern apse. There is a hole in the wall of the northern apse, which, most probably served as a tube for filling the font with water from an upper cistern.

Font structure:

Monolithic

External shape:

rectangular

Internal shape:

rectangular

Ben-Pechat type:

Illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Photos

Upper galleries

Upper galleries:

above n aisle

Galleries description:

Six depression near the eastern rock wall enclosing the complex on the north (beyond the northern aisle) supported roofing beams. A gallery was seemingly set above, running also above the northern aisle. The existence of such a gallery is suggested by the rock-cut room still preserved above the northern apse. For reasons of symmetry, a gallery seemingly existed also above the non-extant southern aisle.

Attached structures

Prothesis chapel / Diakonikon description:

A northern rock-cut elongated hall is attached to the basilica on the north. Its eastern end is quadrangular, not apsidal. Its exact function (Prothesis chapel? Diakonikon? Skeuophylakion, cannot be determined.

Architectural Evolution

Phase 1
Phase 2
Abandonment

Dating material:

Coins dated to the 4th-5th c. were uncovered in Tomb 3. The triapsidal plan suggest the later part of this century.

Phase date

Century:

5th c.

Within century:

Second half

General outline:

Minor modifications were encountered in the baptismal font and a second mosaic floor laid over the first one, were uncovered in the central apse, bema, northern apse and in the building west of the church.

Dating material:

The attribution of this phase to the 6th c. is assumed.

Phase date

Century:

6th c.

General outline:

Umayyad underfloor coins uncovered in the building of different orientation to the west of the church, indicates rebuilding works in this period. Abbasid pottery vessels on the stone floors of this wing are dated to the 8th-9th c. But it is not known if the church still functioned as such at that time, or if the site was still occupied by monks.

Phase date

Century:

Unknown

Conclusions:

The ecclesiastical complex included a basilical church, a northern, a cistern, a pool, and other structures. All the structures were enclosed inside monumental external walls, preserved to the north and to the west of the church. Probably, it was a monastery in the suburb of Jerusalem.