Baḥan - ST. STEPHEN

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Monastery name, type, category

Site Name:

Baḥan

Identification:

According to Di Segni, this is not a monastery. According to others, this might be Aphtoria - a Monophysite monastery to the south of Caesarea.

Monastery name:

ST. STEPHEN

Monastery type:

Cenobium

Monastery category:

Isolated in the countryside

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

20,220.00

69,510.00

Coordinates, ICS system:

15,220.00

19,510.00

Geographical region:

Coastal plain

Provincial affiliation:

Palaestina I

Bishopric:

Caesarea

Topographical location:

Level ground

Distance from nearest bishop-seat:

ca. 25 km (Caesarea)

Distance from Roman roads:

ca. 2 km east of the road connecting Caesarea with Shechem-Neapolis.

Source of knowledge

HideLiterary sources

Text number	Summary
1	Two monasteries, one for men, the other for women, stand in the village of Aphthoria south of Caesarea, AD 488.

Epigraphy

Archaeological remains

Excavated site

Excavators:

Name	Date
Ory	1955

Bibliograpy:

Yeivin, S. and Ory, J., 1955	83-84
Ovadiah, A., 1970	26-27
Applebaum, S., Isaac, B. and Landau, J., 1981-82	98-118
Ovadiah, A. and de Silva, C. G., 1982	125
Porath, Y., Dar, S. and Applebaum, S., 1985	223-226
Ovadiah, R. and Ovadiah, A., 1987	14-15
Tsafrir, Y., Di Segni, L. and Green, J., 1994	73
Schick, R., 1995
Bagatti, B., 2002	222-223
Magen, Y. and Kagan, E. D., 2012	114-115
Di Segni, L., 2016	185-198

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

Discussion:

The site was identified as a monastery based on two inscriptions mentioning "...the most god-loving headman Julian, monk..." and "...the lord abbot...". Di Segni suggests, based on her interpretation of the inscriptions, that the church unearthed at Baḥan belonged to, or was managed by a monastery that owned tenanted land in the area. It remains unresolved whether or not the church was a monastic one or otherwise (Di Segni 2016: 1868-188*).

State of certainty:

Uncertain / Questionable

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

A basilical church was excavated. Remains of walls south and north of the church led the excavators to believe that the structure belonged to a monastery.

Illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Photos

Figures

Bahan- plan of the site (Malka 2012 I: 114, no. 10.1).

General description

Churche/s:

A basilica (20 x 13 m) with a narthex (13 x 3.3 m) had an apse at the eastern end of the nave. The prayer hall was divided into a nave and two aisles. The nave and southern aisle had two layers of mosaics, the upper one displayed geometric motifs. The lower mosaic in the nave contained floral and faunal motifs.

Small finds

Detailed description

Structure

Materials applied (walls):

Limestone

Components

Monastery church:

Church type	Diakonikon	Link to church section	Church location
basilical			Ground floor

Architectural evolution

Phase 1
Phase 2
Abandonment

General outline:

Remains of walls north and south of the church may have belonged to monastic structures.

Dating material:

Sixth century, based on the style of the lower mosaic pavement, signs of iconoclasm were discerned.

Phase date

Century:

6th c.

Iconoclastic evidence

Iconoclastic evidence:

Yes

General outline:

A new mosaic paving was laid bearing geometric motifs.

Phase date

Century:

8th c.

Phase date

Century:

Unknown

Iconoclastic evidence

Iconoclastic evidence:

Yes

Post Arab conquest history:

Still in use

Post conquest history comments:

The complex continued to function in the Early Islamic period, evidenced by the iconoclastic damage to the lower mosaic pavement. The new pavement laid above was therefore dated to the Early Islamic period.