Shavei Zion - South Church - South Church

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Church Name, type, function

Site Name:

Shavei Zion - South Church

Church name:

South Church

Functional Type:

Parochial

Church type:

Basilical - Annex\es on the north

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

207.99

765.60

Coordinates, ICS system:

157.99

1,265.60

Location:

Village/Town

Geographical region:

Western Galilee

Topographical location:

On a sandstone (kurkar) ridge

Distance from nearest bishop-seat:

7 km north of Acre (Ptolemais)

Distance from Roman roads:

Sitting on Roman road, connecting Antioch with Acre (fragment of roman milestone recovered about 300 m east of the church).

Provincial affiliation:

Phoenice I

Bishopric:

Ptolemais

Source of knowledge

HideEpigraphy

Text number	Summary
1	Fragmentary mosaic building (?) inscription in the esonarthex.
2	Damaged mosaic building inscription set in a medallion, in the exonarthex.
3	Fragment of marble tablet.

Archaeological remains

Excavated site

Excavators:

Name	Date
Prausnitz	1955, 57, 60, 63

Bibliograpy:

Prausnitz, M., 1967
Ovadiah, A., 1970
Aviam, M., 2004	244

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

The entire church was excavated, including atrium and the attached structures. A basilical church with an annexed chmber at its NE; the two aisles had openings in their eastern ends. Bema with a solea, of the Phoenician type, extended into the nave in two successive phases.

Description

Illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Photos

Figures

Shavei Zion S - two stages in the evolution of the bema. Cohen-Tavor PhD, Fig. 61

Atrium:

A wide staircase was leading up to the atrium, that was surrounded by porticos. The western gateway was erected south of the center of the atrium, yet opposite and in line with the main door leading into the central nave of the church. The western facade of the enclosing wall of the atrium was at least 30 m. long.

Narthex:

The narthex floor was covered with a mosaic which was dated by an inscription to the 5th century.In Phase I the terraced outer narthex and the continuation towards the north of the narthex formed one large continuous porch which turned and continued in an easterly direction alongside the northern wall of the domus. In Phase II a stylobate with two columns separates between the narthex and the exonarthex. The exonarthex extended much to the north relative to the narthex and the domus. From this extension a corridor led to the east, parallel to the northern wall of the church. The narthex, at its northern end, also had an entrance to this corridor.

Façade and entries:

A flight of steps lead from the atrium to the church itself, which, together with the northern courtyard and adjacent buildings, were erected on top of the hill. The excavators assumed that the church probably had eleven entrances: three in the western wall (including the main central entrance); six side entrances, symmetrically arranged, in northern and southern walls, three in each wall; and two entrances in the eastern wall, one from each side of the apse.

Lateral walls:

All walls were built of local sandstone cut into squares and rectangles. The exterior walls were not plastered while the interior walls were coated with painted plaster with geometrical designs. The interior walls were also decorated with inlays of white marble, green granite and red porphyry.

Nave:

The church domus was divided into a nave and two aisles by two colonnades of five columns each, with Corinthian capitals. The church floor was covered by mosaic carpets. The central and eastern parts of the nave show a number of repairs in the mosaic floor, resulting from modifications in the arrangement of space in front of the bema.

Aisles:

The aisles had openings in their eastern ends.

Bema, chancel screen and apse:

The location of the altar is recognized by imprints in the floor of the bema. In Phase I the bema occupied two inter-colunniations and a solea, flanked by two secondary tables, extended farther west into the nave. In Phase II the chancel, made of marble, was extended to occupy the third inter-colunniations, the two secondary tables, set above crosses, were encompassed by the chancel screen, and a third table, without a cross underneath, was added in the SW corner of the bema, next to its western entrance.

Small finds

Small finds illustrative material:

Peppard, M., "The Photisterion in Late Antiquity: Reconsidering Terminology for Sites and Rites of Initiation", Journal of Ecclesiastical History no. 71 (2020): 463–83.

Detailed description

Structure

Orientation:

Facing east

Materials applied (walls):

Kurkar

Materials applied (roofing):

tiles

timber

Atrium:

Yes

Water cistern:

Narthex:

Yes

Aisles:

Colonnades / Arcades:

Colonnade

Number of nave columns in a row:

Total
5

Capital types:

Corinthian

East end:

External apse, round

Church Head/Chevet:

two openings flanking the apse (mon-aps IV)

Central Apse Category:

apsidal

Bema type:

Phoenician type

Bema type text:

A solea led from the nave to the bema.

Elevation of Bema above nave:

1 step up

Altar remains:

imprints

Altar type:

Marble, table like

Altar reliquiarium type:

No altar reliquiarium

Altar location:

In the middle of the bema

Secondary tables:

The two altar tables above crosses were flanking the solea in Phase 1; in Phase 2 they found themselves inside the extended chancel. A ‎third table, without a cross underneath, was added in the SW ‎corner of the bema, next to its entrance.‎

Ambo:

Apse elevation:

Flush with the bema

Apse shape:

Hemispherical

Synthronon:

Attached structures

Martyrs chapel:

Simple rectangular room

Martyrs chapel description:

A small rectangular room was attached on the northeast, parallel and to the north of the east end of the domus. Two different mosaic floors found super-imposed one upon the other indicated two building phases. In the 2nd, later phase, the chapel was enlarged to measure 5 m. south to north and at least 6 m. west to east. It seems to had served as a martyrs chapel. In Phase 1 four bases were set ‎into the floor of its north-eastern corner, carrying small columns which surrounded a cross.‎ This installation seems to have been an altar table for a reliquary. Another possibility is that a reliquary was put underneath.

Architectural Evolution

Phase 1
Phase 2
Abandonment

General outline:

Basilical church with an external apse, Phoenician type bema and an attached room on the NE, that seemingly served as a martyrion. At this phase, the chancel was made of wood and occupied the eastern third of the ‎nave. It had a narrow solea passage in its center, protruding into the nave. Two ‎altar tables above crosses were flanking the solea.‎

Dating material:

The church was erected in the end of the 4th century CE-beginning of the 5th c. The date is based ‎on glass vessels and Late Roman pottery (LR pseudo-sigillata oil-lamps, LR ‎platters and shallow bowls, oil lamp decorated with a jeweled cross within a ‎circle).‎ Aviam (2004: 144) is of the opinion that it should be dated to the 5th, begining of 6th c.

Phase date

Century:

4th-5th c.

General outline:

Atrium and narthex were added. The chancel screen was made of marble and occupied the entire ‎eastern half of the nave, encompassing the two secondary tables. A third table, with no cross underneath, was added in the SW corner of the bema near its entrance.‎ The northeastern martyrium was enlarged to measure 5 m. ‎south to north and at least 6 m. west to east.‎ Additional rooms were built to the north of the church.

Dating material:

According to the inscription in the outer narthex, the church was ‎rebuilt and enlarged at 486 CE. After that, the church was repaired twice, ‎probably as a result of damages caused by earthquakes.

Phase date

Century:

5th c.

Within century:

Late

General outline:

The church was destroyed by fire in the Persian invasion of 614.‎

Phase date

Century:

7th c.

Within century:

Early

Effects of the Persian Invasion:

Destroyed