Motza (Colonia) - Church

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Church Name, type, function

Site Name:

Motza (Colonia)

Church name:

Church

Functional Type:

Parochial

Church type:

Basilical - Basilica with an annexed chapel

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

215.62

633.22

Coordinates, ICS system:

165.61

1,133.20

Location:

Rural

Geographical region:

Judean Hills

Topographical location:

On a slope of a wadi, ca. 0.5 m south of 'Ein Motza; next and south of the modern main road (Road 1).

Distance from nearest bishop-seat:

Ca. 2 km west of Jerusalem.

Distance from Roman roads:

On the road between Jerusalem and Emmaus (Nicopolis).

Provincial affiliation:

Palaestina I

Bishopric:

Jerusalem

Source of knowledge

HideEpigraphy

Text number	Summary
1	Commemorative inscription of Cyricus the deacon and Maria within a tabula ansata, in the mosaic pavement of the chapel.
2	Dedicatory inscription of Bassus the archdeacon, Petrus the comes, Cyriacus the priest and Theodora and Maria within a tabula ansata, in the mosaic pavement of the chapel.

Archaeological remains

Excavated site

Excavators:

Name	Date
Baramki	1942 (in IAA Mandatory Archive SRF_150 19/19)
Bacchi	1964-65
Eisenberg	1973
Ad and Seligman	2020

History:

Add to bibliography: 'Ad, U., Terem, Sh. and Seligman, J., "Motza in the Byzantine Period", Qadmoniot 58, no. 169 (2025): 35-36.

Bibliograpy:

Guérin, V., 1868-1880
Abel, F. M., 1933
Abel, F. M., 1938
Leibowitz, Y., 1957
Bacchi, G., 1965
Ovadiah, A., 1970
Eisenberg, E., 1974
Ovadiah, A. and de Silva, C. G., 1982
Magen, Y. and Finkelstein, I., 1993
Tsafrir, Y., Di Segni, L. and Green, J., 1994
Di Segni, L., 2005
Magen, Y. and Kagan, E. D., 2012	23-24

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

Basilical church, 18.6x25.7m in dimensions, with an annexed chapel on the north. ‎Only the foundations of te walls and the mosaic floors depicting simple geometric patterns were partially preserved. The exposed remains include the entire western part of the basilica and its annex, including the ‎entire narthex. The southern aisle was exposed to its entire length, and on the east the eastern wall to its entire length and a northern part of the apse and the bema. The entire complex had colorful mosaic floors depicting florets, crosses and geometric patterns. In a later phase these floors ‎were mostly covered with ‎plaster. Chancel screen ‎fragments were discovered as well.‎ A burial crypt came to light at the eastern end of the southern aisle. Three Greek inscriptions were uncovered. Two in the annexed chapel and one, partialy preserved, next to the apse chord. All three were framed in a tabula ansata.

Description

Illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Photos

Figures

Narthex:

The narthex is ca. 3.5 m wide. A section of its mosaic floor was uncovered at its northern half.

Façade and entries:

Disapeared to below floors level.

Lateral walls:

Mostly disapeared to below floors level.

Nave:

Only its western part was excavated; mosaic paved. A section of the southern stylobate was preserved.

Aisles:

Both are dead-end aisle. Their entrances on the west were not preserved. The southern aisle was excavated to its entire length. An earlier spacy shaft tomb with a lead coffin of the 4th c. was uncovered under its middle part. It was connected to the church by a shaft. A burial crypt accessed from the west via three stairs was revealed at the eastern end. It had three resting places. A rich collection of glass bottles, intact clay oil lamps and metal objects were uncovered therein. A section of the mosaic pavement of the northern aisle was preserved on its west, and most of its eastern wall on the other end. The northern wall of the church was looted.

Bema, chancel screen and apse:

The foundation of the apse were partially preserved at the north. Less than a semi-circle in its layout, it was seemingly internal.

Lateral spaces:

Dead-end aisles; no lateral spaces.

Crypt: See in the Detailed Description, crypt

Small finds

Small finds illustrative material:

Epigraphy

Comments, discussion and summary:

The church, located next to the main road leading to Jerusalem, could easily serve pilgrims. The adjacent rooms on the south, beyond an alley, could have been a hostelry (xenodochion).

Detailed description

Structure

Orientation:

Facing east

Materials applied (walls):

Limestone

Atrium:

Water cistern:

Narthex:

Yes

Aisles:

Crypt

Accessibility and description:

A barrel-‎vaulted burial crypt was found under ‎the southern ‎aisle at its eastern end.‎ It was accessed from the west by three stairs. The division into three or four resting places was by means of standing tiles.

Function:

Burial crypt.

Burial loci

Burials loci:

An earlier spacy shaft tomb with a lead coffin of the 4th c. was uncovered under the middle of the southern aisle. It was connected to the church by a shaft. A burial crypt accessed from the west via three stairs was revealed at the eastern end of the southern aisle. It had three or four resting places divided by standing tiles. A rich collection of glass bottles, intact clay oil lamps and metal objects were uncovered therein. See also supra, under "Crypt".

Attached structures

Annex/es on the south:

Two rooms, recognized by different carpets, were annexed on this side. It is not known if the annex extended farther east, forming an elongated chapel.

Prothesis chapel / Diakonikon:

Simple rectangular room

Prothesis chapel / Diakonikon description:

The northern annex might had served as a prothesis chapel, the western room serving for registering and storage of gifts and offerings. If so, it should have been accessed from the narthex, but the separating wall was looted. The eastern room, recognized only by its mosaic carpet, contains two three-lines long Greek inscriptions, each in a tabula ansata. One - commemorative; the second - dedicatory. Both are facing east, suggesting adjacent openings and a west-east movement from the western room to a third room located farther east. Paleography suggests a date not earlier than 540 CE.

Architectural Evolution

Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3
Abandonment

General outline:

Basilical church with narthex and colored mosaic floors.

Dating material:

Founded in the 5th c. according to the excavators.

Phase date

Century:

5th c.

General outline:

A northern annex was added to the basilica on the north in the mid or second half of the 6th c. (post 540).

Dating material:

Paleography suggests a date not earlier than 540 CE.

Phase date

Century:

6th c.

Within century:

Mid

General outline:

The mosaics were covered by plaster.

Phase date

Century:

Unknown

Dating material:

Not indicated in the preliminary report.

Phase date

Century:

Unknown