Baḥan - ST. STEPHEN

General description: 

Partially excavated basilical church (20 X 13 m) with a narthex and apparently an atrium with water cistern.

Mosaics of two different level floors were found in the nave, aisles and narthex.

The researchers give different description to the relations of the mosaic floors:

Ovadiah (1970) mentions that the mosaic forms two different floors but doesn't separate them in his description.

Porath, Dar and Applebaum (1985) separate the floors in the nave and southern aisle.

Ovadiah and Ovadiah (1987) don't separate the mosaics into different floors.

Magen and Kagen (2012) separate the floors by motifs: Upper floor is Geometric and lower contains floral and Geometric designs.

History: 

The church is dated to sixth century, and the lower floor is dated to that phase. No date is given to the upper floor. 

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

Decorations

Item number Location in the architectural complex View
1 Narthex View
2 Nave- upper floor View
3 Nave- lower floor View
4 South aisle- upper floor View
5 South aisle- lower floor View
6 North aisle View