11987 - Oboda - St. Theodore (South Church)

Church Name, type, function

Site Name:

Oboda

Church name:

St. Theodore (South Church)

Functional Type:

Parochial

Dedication:

St. Theodore

Church type:

Basilical - Basilica with an annexed chapel

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

178.20

522.88

Coordinates, ICS system:

128.20

1,022.90

Geographical region:

Central Negev

Provincial affiliation:

Palaestina III

Bishopric:

Elusa

Source of knowledge

Epigraphy:

HideEpigraphy

Text number	Summary
1	Dated marble tombstone of Azonaine at the eastern end of the northern aisle, 20-21 December 576.
2	Dated marble tombstone of Zacharias at the eastern end of the northern aisle, 28/29 June and 1 July 581.
3	Dated limestone tombstone of Abba Erasinos in the atrium.
4	Limestone tombstone of Toubios in the southern room.
5	Invocation of the Lord on a building stone, forming part of a door jamb to a northern room.
6	Invocation of Mary, on a paving stone in front of the bema.
7	Graffito of Antonius with acclamation of God, on a building stone in the atrium.
8	A chancel post in front of the southern room, donated (?) by Ennios.
9	Invocation of Saint Theodore on fragments of a chancel screen found in the debris.
10	Dedicatory inscription of Kasiseos and Victor on a broken marble table found in the debris.
11	Various building stones (Negev nos. 23-24), paving stones (nos. 21-22, 30), graffito (no. 29) and marble furniture (nos. 33-36) with undecipherable fragments of inscriptions, not included.
12	Dated marble tombstone of Zacharias at the western end of the southern aisle, 19 December 541.
13	Dated marble tombstone of Germanus at the eastern end of the southern aisle, 26 October 550.

Archaeological remains

Bibliograpy:

Negev, A., 1997

Patrich, J., 2006

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

Well preserved and entirely excavated basilical church. A lot of spolia originated in a previously existed Nabatean temple are incorporated in the church building. The basilica is 18.35 m long and 12.88 m wide.

Description

Illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Figures

Atrium:

The atrium measures 17 X 12 m. It is paved with stone slabs. It is surrounded by a colonnades placed on stylobates from the north, east and south and formed three porticoes. The porticoes are surrounded from north, west and south by several service rooms. A staircase leads from the southeastern corner of the atrium to the upper floor. Under the pavement of the atrium there is a cistern, elliptical in shape, measuring 6 X 5.2 m and 3.5 m deep. The cistern collected water from the roofs of the basilica and the atrium. A stone bench is built along the eastern and northern walls of the atrium. The main entrance to the atrium was probably through the doorway at its southeast corner. Another entrance was through an anteroom from the north.

Façade and entries:

The basilica has three entrances from the atrium leading into the nave and the aisles. The main entrance is 1.6 m wide and the lateral entrances are 0.95 m wide.

Nave:

The nave is about 5.5 m wide, separated from the aisles by two rows of five columns standing on stylobates. The distance between columns is approx. 3 m. The floor is paved with stone slabs and is higher about 0.45 m than that of the atrium. An ambo is located at the northeastern corner of the nave.

Aisles:

The northern aisle is 3.48 m wide. The southern one is 3.85 m wide. The floor is paved with stone slabs and is higher about 0.45 m than that of the atrium. A stone bench is built along the northern wall of the northern aisle. This wall also has an entrance from outside of the church and another entrance, at the western part of the wall, that leads into the annexed chapel north of the basilica. The aisles ended at their east parts with a wide arches leading into the pastophoria rooms.

Bema, chancel screen and apse:

The bema is T-shaped with three openings in the marble chancel screen and raised two steps above the nave. The bema was apparently paved with marble slabs of which nothing remains. The apse is internal, semicircular. It is 2.57 m deep and 4.52 m wide. The wall and the floor of the apse were plastered. The apse is flanked from both sides by a pastophoria rooms.

Lateral spaces:

Two rooms open to each aisle by wide opening. See detailed description in the Detailed Description section, under pastophoria / lateral apses.

Small finds

Detailed description

Structure

Orientation:

Facing east

Materials applied (walls):

Limestone

Materials applied (roofing):

tiles

timber

Atrium:

Yes

Water cistern:

Yes

Narthex:

No

Aisles:

2

Colonnades / Arcades:

Arcade of columns

Number of nave columns in a row:

Total
5

East end:

Internal apse

Church Head/Chevet:

monoapsidal with open lateral rooms or spaces (mon-aps I)

Central Apse Category:

apsidal

Bema type:

T shaped with three openings

Elevation of Bema above nave:

2 steps up

Altar remains:

no remains

Secondary tables:

Fragments of marble table measuring 0.65 X 1.16 m were found in the southern pastophorium.

Ambo:

Yes

Ambo remains:

base plate

Ambo location:

N

Ambo description:

The base of the ambo is a circular structure 1.2 m in diameter, made of ten segments of stone set around a circular stone which serves as its core. On some of the stones may be seen the grooves made by the nails by which the wooden legs of the pulpit were attached. No steps leading up to the ambo from the northwestern corner of the bema were found.

Ambo materials:

Lime stone

Ambo placement:

On a circular slab

Apse elevation:

Flush with the bema

Apse shape:

Hemispherical

Synthronon:

No

Pastophoria

Pastophoria loci:

N & S

Description and function of northern:

The northern room measuring 3.1 X 3.5 m. A domed niche is built into the eastern wall of the room. The niche is 1.45 m wide and 3 m high. In the middle of the floor of the niche is a sunken reliquary base measuring 0.45 X 0.6 X 0.3 m. The base of the niche is coated with plaster and was originally faced with marble. The walls were painted. The floor of the room is paved with stone slabs.

Description and function of southern:

The southern pastophorium measures 3.6 X 3 m and is identical in shape to the northern one. It also has reliquary base in the floor of the niche. Both pastophoria were dedicated to the cult of the martyrs. Behind the southern chancel screen there is a socket in the floor for the leg of a small offering table.

Cult of relics

Cult of relics loci:

elsewhere

Reliquiaries: shapes and contents:

Both pastophoria were dedicated to the cult of the martyrs. A small limestone reliquary was found in the southern pastophorium. It had two compartments with a small cavity for oil in the corner of each.

Burial loci

Burials loci:

Four tombs were found under the floor of the aisles, two tombs at each aisle. Two other tombs were found under the floor of the eastern portico of the atrium. The tombs were covered with a stone slab (epitaphs) incorporated into the floor. Under the epitaphs there is an earth fill and under the fill - the tomb itself, framed by stone slabs. Each tomb usually contained more than a single skeleton. The osteological remains are of men and woman of different ages.

Attached structures

Prothesis chapel / Diakonikon:

Simple rectangular room

Prothesis chapel / Diakonikon description:

Rectangular room measuring approx. 5 X 6 m, annexed to the basilica from north. The chapel is entered trough a doorway at the western part of the northern wall of the basilica. The floor is paved with stone slabs. A cupboard was installed in its eastern wall. A round stone basin (0.45m in diameter), was found near its NW corner.

Architectural Evolution

General outline	Dating material	Phase no.	Century	Within century
Basilical church with an atrium, internal apse, T-shaped bema, open pastophoria, ambo and a side chapel.	Ca. 450-500? The earliest dated burial inscription in the church is from 541, the latest from 618. According to Negev, at the absence of firm archaeological evidence, and adhering to his scheme, 450 should be set as a T.P.Q. for its erection, rather than ca. 500.	Phase 1	5th c.	Second half
	The church was destroyed, like the N church, by fire in 636 CE, during the Arab conquest.	Abandonment	7th c.	First half

Post Arab conquest history:

Abandoned