Deir 'Arabi (Khirbet Deir el-‘Arab) - Chapel
Church Name, type, function
Site Name:
Deir 'Arabi (Khirbet Deir el-‘Arab)
Identification:
Bagatti (2002) proposed to identify the site with the "Monastery of the Arabs", mentioned in the writings of the Monophysites.
Church name:
Chapel
Functional Type:
Monastic
Church type:
Chapel - With an annexed room
Location
Coordinates, ITM system:
201.61
657.56
Coordinates, ICS system:
151.60
1,157.60
Geographical region:
Southern and Western Samaria
Topographical location:
On a spur.
Distance from nearest settlement:
ca. 2 km south of the village of Rantis.
Provincial affiliation:
Palaestina I
Bishopric:
Diospolis
Source of knowledge
General description
State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:
Mono-apsidal chapel in the middle of a monastery. The chapel comprises a rectangular room (17 X 6.7 m) with a single apse and an entrance in the northern wall. Corridor along the chapel’s southern wall. Hewn cistern north of the chapel. Three cross-adorned lintels were found amidst the ruins.
Description
Illustrative material:
Lateral spaces:
According to the plan, two rectangular rooms are attached to the chapel from the north.
Crypt: See in the Detailed Description, crypt
Small finds
Small finds illustrative material:
Detailed description
Structure
Orientation:
Facing east
Materials applied (walls):
Limestone
Water cistern:
Yes
East end:
Internal apse
Central Apse Category:
apsidal
Altar remains:
no remains
Crypt
Accessibility and description:
Hewn burial chamber containing three arcosolia under the chapel. Entrance to the chamber from outside the chapel.
Baptism
Loci:
Stone-carved basin, probably a baptistery, was discovered in a structure north of the monastery.
Font structure:
Monolithic
Architectural Evolution
| General outline | Dating material | Phase no. | Century | Within century |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Apsidal chapel in the middle of a monastery. | Schneider dated the complex to the reign of Justinian on basis of the structure's character. | Phase 1 | 6th c. | Mid |
No dates are given. | Abandonment | 7th c? |