Beit Jala - Church
Church Name, type, function
Site Name:
Beit Jala
Church name:
Church
Functional Type:
Unknown
Church type:
Unknown
Location
Coordinates, ITM system:
217.98
624.81
Coordinates, ICS system:
167.96
1,124.81
Geographical region:
Judean Hills
Distance from nearest bishop-seat:
The site is a suburb of Bethlehem.
Distance from nearest settlement:
The site is a suburb of Bethlehem.
Provincial affiliation:
Palaestina I
Bishopric:
Jerusalem
Source of knowledge
Archaeological remains
Excavated site
Excavators:
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
Abel, F. M. | 1923 |
General description
State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:
A crypt found under the modern church of St. Nicolas.
Description
Small finds
Small finds:
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
Pottery | From the byzantine period to the 14 century. |
Glass | |
Bones | Including skulls. |
Inscription - see under epigraphy | A pre Crusader Kufic inscription, "I have consecrated it", on a marble fragment; and a pre Crusader Arab Christian tombstone. |
Detailed description
Structure
Orientation:
The Crypt is facing west.
Crypt
Accessibility and description:
Original entrance is through a barrel vaulted corridor and four steps in the east, a modern entrance were quarried from the west. The crypt itself is a cross shaped chapel. The eastern room is T shaped. The floor in the central square is lower than the side rooms. The north and south rooms are different size rectangular. In the west is a polygonal apse (Bagatti, 2002). The three side rooms have barrel vaulted roofs and coarse mosaic floors. The square center is roofed by a dome with a shaft in the middle. Dimensions: Central Square: 2.3X2 m., 2 m. high. Side rooms: 1.8X1/1.5 m. 1.8 m. high.
Function:
Burial crypt.
Cult of relics
Cult of relics loci:
crypt
Architectural Evolution
| Dating material | Phase no. | Century |
|---|---|---|
Based on construction and examination of the glass. | Phase 1 | 5th-6th c. |
The date of abandonment is unknown, but it not earlier than the crusader period. | Abandonment | Unknown |
Post Arab conquest history:
Still in use
Post conquest history comments:
The church might have still been in use post conquest.