Maresha - Church

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Church Name, type, function

Site Name:

Maresha

Church name:

Church

Functional Type:

Parochial

Church type:

Basilical - Free standing basilica

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

189.91

611.04

Coordinates, ICS system:

139.91

1,111.00

Location:

Rural

Geographical region:

Shephelah

Topographical location:

Approx. 300 m southwest of Tel Maresha

Distance from nearest bishop-seat:

Approx. 2 km south of Beit Govrin (Eleutheropolis).

Provincial affiliation:

Palaestina I

Bishopric:

Eleutheropolis

Source of knowledge

HideEpigraphy

Text number	Summary
1	Christian acclamation on a limestone fragment, found among the debris in the nave.
2	Damaged dedicatory mosaic inscription with an invocation of the angel Michael, near the entrance to the church.

Archaeological remains

Surveyed site

Surveyors:

Name	Date
Amos Kloner	1981

Excavated site

Excavators:

Name	Date
A. Kloner, assisted by H. Stark et als.; IAA	1985

Bibliograpy:

Kloner, A., 1993

Kloner, A. and Graicer, N., 2014

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

Monoapsidal basilica with dead-end aisles, 9.6 X 9.9 m in dimensions. The southern wall and the apse were badly damaged, being robbed almost to the floor level. The prayer hall is well preserved. Column drums, capitals, bases and a chancel screen panel, all of limestone were uncovered. The archangel Michael is mentioned in a Greek mosaic inscription. The church might have been renovated with some minor architectural alterations, such as constructing of benches set over the mosaic floors along the walls.

The church was set on fire. Plenty of burned roof beams and clay tiles were found over the mosaic floor.

Description

Illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Photos

Figures

Tomb, cross-section and amphora. From Kloner 2014.

Façade and entries:

The central entrance was 1.2 m wide. The lateral ones - 0.8 m wide. The preserved height of the jambs was ca. 0.5-1.2 m. On the threshols the sockets for the bars were revealed. In the northern wall (0.95 from its corner) a blocked doorway (0.9 m wide) was uncovered.

Lateral walls:

The walls were 0.9 m thick and preserved up to 0.5-1.2 m high.

Nave:

The nave was 4.65 m wide, 9.6 m long. It was separated from the aisles by two rows of three columns, standing on stylobates and 1.5m distant from each other. The nave was paved with a colored mosaic floor with geometric and schematic floral patterns. The carpet measured 7.6x1.4 m. The level of the floor was on 4 cm higher than the level of the aisles. Massive pilasters were attached to the eastern and western walls. In the south-eastern part of the nave was found a deep cist tomb. A plastered bench was built adjacent to the western wall, in the section between the pilaster and the central doorway.

Aisles:

The dead end aisles were 2 - 2.1 m wide, 9.6 m long. They were paved with a mosaic floors with geometric and schematic floral patterns. Carpet in each aisle measured 5x3.6 m. In the center of southern aisle the design comprised a deer. There are no signs of pastophoria in the east ends of the aisles. In the western part of the northern wall of the northern aisle a blocked doorway was found. Two stone benches were found in the western part of the northern aisle, placed on the floor.

Bema, chancel screen and apse:

The apse was damaged to its foundations. It was semicurcular, set in a quadrangular block, protruding ca. 2.9 m east. The bema was U-shaped, 2.9 X 4.7 m in dimensions. It was raised two steps above the floor of the nave.

Small finds

Small finds:

Category	Description
Metal objects	Some fifty iron nails were found in the debris on the prayers hall floor.
Pottery	The pottery found on the floor and in the destruction layer was purely Byzantine, dating to the 5th - 6th centuries.
Inscription - see under epigraphy	In the western part of the nave mosaic floor the Greek inscription was revealed, mentioning the donor Fl(avius) Im(erius)

Detailed description

Structure

Orientation:

east-northeast alignment (60 degrees off east).

Materials applied (walls):

Limestone

Materials applied (roofing):

tiles

timber

Atrium:

Water cistern:

Narthex:

Aisles:

Number of nave columns in a row:

Total
3

Number of aisle columns in a row:

Total	Extant in N	Extant in S
6	3	3

Capital types:

Corinthian

East end:

External apse, quadrangular

Church Head/Chevet:

dead end aisles (mon-aps III)

Central Apse Category:

apsidal

Bema type:

U shaped

Elevation of Bema above nave:

2 steps up

Ambo:

Apse elevation:

Flush with the bema

Apse shape:

Hemispherical

Synthronon:

Cult of relics

Cult of relics loci:

elsewhere

Reliquiaries: shapes and contents:

See below, under burial loci.

Burial loci

Burials loci:

In the southeast corner of the nave, 0.9 m under the mosaic floor, a single tomb was found. The location of the tomb was marked with a stone with a tapering depression and a hole, implanted in the floor. The depression facilitated the pouring of oil into an elongated, narrow, imported amphora (0.77 m , high, 0.18 m wide), placed underneath. The vessel was laid inside the tomb; it was set above, leaning against the western side of the shaft. There was no hole in the cover stone of the tomb; the bottom of the vessel was intentionally broken (perhaps for reaching of the proper height). On its walls a Greek name was written in ink - ZHNON. The hole in the stone was originally protected by a metal grid. Marks of fire were recognized around the stone, more strong and evident than in other parts of the church, due to the burning of oil. The tomb might had belonged to a local saint who was venerated in the church. Few fragments of broken bones mixed with earth were found in the tomb, belonging to a male 30-35 years old. He was lying with his head to the west, so that the said vessel was placed above his head. It seems that the constructing of the tomb preceded the church building, since it was lying under the mosaic floor.

Burials loci photos and plans:

Illustrative_material

Photos

Figures

Architectural Evolution

Phase 1
Abandonment

General outline:

Basilical church with external apse and dead end aisles.

Dating material:

The pottery finds suggest a construction date not earlier than the end of the 5th century.

Phase date

Century:

5th c.

Within century:

Late

Iconoclastic evidence

Iconoclastic evidence:

Dating material:

The pottery in the desctruction layer was purely Byzantine. The church was destroyed in fire not later than the beginning of 7th century; possibly during the Persian invasion. Though, it might have been caused earlier by an earthquake.

Phase date

Century:

7th c.

Within century:

Early

Effects of the Persian Invasion:

Destroyed

Conclusions:

The church was built at the outskirts of Eleutheropolis (Beth Govrin), perhaps as part of a monastic center. According to Kloner (2014), it was a parochial church serving the dwellers of the north-western slope of Tel Maresha and probably for the other local villages.