Beth ha-Shita; Khirbet Shata - Chapel
Church Name, type, function
Location
Source of knowledge
Archaeological remains
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
Aharoni | 1952 |
General description
Description
A square central courtyard was located in the center of the complex. The courtyard was paved in basalt slabs.
A courtyard is located in the center of the complex, southwest of the chapel.
The chapel is located southeast of the courtyard. It is well built and plastered both inside and outside. The chapel is divided into two spaces both are 4.66 m. wide while the northern one is 0.60 m. longer than the other. The southern space is entered from the northern part of the chapel and is 0.60 m. lower than the other. According to the excavator, it may have served as an auxiliary chapel (diakonikon?). Both parts of the chapel were paved in a fairly coarse mosaic. In the center of the northern space there is a large Greek cross in red, the rest of the mosaic is in white and black. The southern space bears a mosaic in a pattern of squares.
Small finds
Detailed description
Structure
Architectural Evolution
| General outline | Dating material | Phase no. | Century | Within century |
|---|---|---|---|---|
A monastic complex consisting of rooms arranged around a central courtyard. A chapel is located southeast of the courtyard. | The complex was dated to the fifth to the seventh centuries CE based on the pottery, the inscription and the abbreviations in the inscription. No remains from later periods were reported. It can be assumed that the monastery was abandoned sometime in the early seventh century CE. | Phase 1 | 5th c. | |
The site was probably abandoned in the early seventh century. | Abandonment | 7th c? | Early |
The plan of the chapel is rather unusual, consisting of two rooms. Both rooms are paved with mosaics. The northern of the two rooms is paved with a large cross within a medallion while the southern room's pavement consists of a pattern of squares and cryptic symbols, Sussman suggested a Samaritan connection. According to Aharoni, the southern room served as the monastery's chapel while the northern was named by him "The front room". A horseshoe pattern in the mosaic of the chapel is located offcenter and may be in lieu of an apse.