Herodion; Khirbet Firdaus; el Fureidis - Northern Church

General description: 

Basilican design church with well-preserved mosaics.The: hall (8.5 x 10.4 m), nave (13.1 m long), rectangular bema and aisles were paved with carpetlike mosaics with small mosaic panels in the intercolumniations. As were three rooms adjoining the north wall: A small room (1.9 x 2.2 m) south of the bema, probably a baptistery was paved with white mosaic. Another chamber north of the bema was decorated with a mosaic, probably it served as a prothesis. The design of the carpets consists of simple geometric forms, different in each carpet. The exception was the narrow narthex entered through the south which was covered in mosaics consisting of rows of flowers and squares.

In all the church has three Greek inscriptions indicating it was dedicated to St. Michael. 

 

 

History: 

It was proposed considering the style of the mosaics to date the church to the second half of the 5th century or beginning of the 6th century (Netzer). 

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

Decorations

Item number Location in the architectural complex View
1 Nave View
2 Narthex View
3 North aisle View
4 South aisle View
5 Intercolumniations View