Shavei Zion - South Church - Exonarthex

The outer narthex is paved plainly in white surround (55 cm wide) and a black border (15 cm wide) encloses a white field decorated with black diagonal lines that form squares (67 cm). Each square holds a stepped square of black, brick -red and white cubes. In the presumed center of the exonarthex is a circle (120 m in diameter). Inside the circle, there is a fragmentary inscription in 9 lines in a rounded script: "in the time of our most holy bishop Photinus...And the most pious Cosmas..the visitor...was completed the labor of this mosaic in the ninth indiction in the year 611." The mosaic should be dated to 486 A.D.