Shiloh - The Pilgrims church

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Church Name, type, function

Site Name:

Shiloh

Church name:

The Pilgrims church

Functional Type:

Pilgrims' church

Church type:

Chapel - With an annexed room

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

227.58

662.17

Coordinates, ICS system:

177.57

1,162.20

Location:

Village/Town

Geographical region:

Southern and Western Samaria

Provincial affiliation:

Palaestina I

Bishopric:

Samaria-Sebaste

Source of knowledge

HideEpigraphy

Text number	Summary
1	Funerary inscription of Porphyrios and Jacob in the western mosaic of the prothesis (Room K).

Archaeological remains

Excavated site

Excavators:

Name	Date
Kjaer, H. and Schmidt, A.	1929

Bibliograpy:

Ovadiah, A., 1970
Andersen, F. G., 1985
Kempinksi, A. and Finkelstein, I., 1993
Tsafrir, Y., Di Segni, L. and Green, J., 1994
Schick, R., 1995
Bagatti, B., 2002
Magen, Y. and Kagan, E. D., 2012	149-62, no. 44

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

A chapel with an atrium, narthex, an annexed wing on the north, and surrounding rooms on the north and west. Building dimensions: 12.2X25.5 (Andersen). Entrance to the complex is through a 2 m. wide ramp, paved by flat stones, on the west leading into the room marked A on the plan.

Description

Illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Figures

Atrium:

(Marked D on the plan) The atrium is entered through room A. A portico runs along its southern side, separated by two pilasters, 0.85-0.9X0.6 m., and a pillar, 0.49X0.5 m, between them. Paved by a mosaic of large white tesserae. The floor is laid in a slope toward the north east, possibly in order to allow rain water to drain into a cistern located in room C in the plan. A doorway leading to the narthex (F) is located opposite the doorway to room A. The excavators hint to another doorway between the portico and the narthex. Dimensions: 6.4X4.2 m. (Ovadiah), 6.5X4.45 m. (Andersen).

Narthex:

Dimensions: 6.2X2.5 m. (Ovadiah), 6X2.4 m. (Andersen). Fragments of a white mosaic with red decorations were found.

Façade and entries:

The chapel has two doorways: a 1.25 m. wide two paneled door from the narthex on the west; and a 1.08 m. wide two paneled door from the annexed wing on the north.

Lateral walls:

Preserved to the height of 1-1.5 m. above bedrock and 15-20 cm. above the floors. Most of the walls are composed of large dressed stones with an inner faces of fieldstones and are 0.6 m. wide. The eastern wall and northern part of the western wall of the complex are about 1.7 m. thick with an inner dace of dressed stones. Fragments of white plaster were found in several rooms.

Nave:

Paved by a mosaic of red, blue, black and green against a white background. Repairs can be seen in the southwestern part of mosaic. Possible fire damage can be seen. Dimensions: 13.5X5.3 m, (Ovadiah), 13.7X5.5 (Andersen).

Bema, chancel screen and apse:

The apse wall was poorly preserved, the shape is known from the mosaic. The mosaic is made of small tesserae and contains vegetal decorations. Bema raised two steps. Transverse chancel. Apse is 3.2 m. deep, and chord is 4.2 m.

Small finds

Small finds:

Category	Description
Inscription - see under epigraphy	A Greek burial inscription, of five lines inside a circle, was found in the eastern room of the annex. (Ovadiah mistakenly mentions a second inscription in the narthex; the inscription belongs to the Basilica church).
Coins	Two coins were found in the debris dumped in the pit in the north wing. In the dump was a coin restruck in the reign of Constans II, 6451-688. In the accumulated soil above the dump, an Umayyad coin was found.

Small finds illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Photos

Figures

Detailed description

Structure

Orientation:

Facing east

Materials applied (roofing):

tiles

Atrium:

Yes

Water cistern:

Yes

Narthex:

Yes

East end:

Internal apse

Central Apse Category:

apsidal

Bema type:

U shaped without lateral openings

Elevation of Bema above nave:

2 steps up

Burial loci

Burials loci:

An empty tomb was found in a room north of the atrium (marked E). Dimensions: 1.9 m. long, 0.58 m. wide and approx. 0.35 m. deep. Cut into bed rock with flagstones lining the sides. The tomb is contemporary with the room and possibly had a special status. Six trance graves cut into bedrock, four adults and two children, according to their orientation, facing south; they belong to the Islamic periods.

Attached structures

Prothesis chapel / Diakonikon:

Other

Prothesis chapel / Diakonikon description:

An annexed wing of two rooms is located north of the chapel. The west room (marked J) is the least preserved in the building. Its eastern wall appears to be repaired and the original floor removed. A bench might have been built against its southern wall. Dimensions: 4.5X4.2 m. (Ovadiah), 4.8X5 m. (Andersen). The east room (Marked K) is divided into two parts by a row of pilasters and pillars. A pit was found up against the eastern wall, not enough information to determine its purpose. The wing is paved by a mosaic containing geometric, floral and animal decorations. An inscription is located in western part of the mosaic. Dimensions: 7.2X4.4 m. (Ovadiah), 4.8X7.26 m. (Andersen).

Architectural Evolution

Phase 1
Abandonment

General outline:

See General description

Dating material:

Dated to the end of the 5th century or beginning of the 6th century based on comparison of the mosaics and coins.

Phase date

Century:

6th c.

General outline:

A tabon and heap of construction stones, including fragments of columns, chancel and threshold stone, was placed in the northern wing. New walls were built in several rooms including the chapel. Debris were dumped into the pit in the north wing.

Dating material:

The building was destroyed in a fire, according to evidence found in the rooms labeled A-E, such as charcoal and a layer of debris. According to coins and the lack of Islamic pottery, it appears that the destruction occured in the 7th century, presumably in connection to the Islamic conquest. The chapel, narthex and north wing are reused in the Umayyad period.

Phase date

Century:

7th c.

Within century:

Second half

Post Arab conquest history:

Abandoned

Post conquest history comments:

The church was destroyed in a fire and the chapel, narthex and the northern wing were reused in the Umayyad period, in ca. 650-660. Secondary walls were built in several rooms including the chapel.

Conclusions:

The church was constructed in the 6th c. according to the mosaics style. Final destruction in fire following the Arab conquest, in ca. 650-660 (Ovadiah 1970, 164-65, no. 163, Pl. 66; Andersen 1985, 61-75, 109 and plan H).