13143 - Khirbet ed Deir - Church

Khirbet ed Deir - Church

Church Name, type, function

Site Name:

Khirbet ed Deir

Identification:

Marcoff and Chitty suggested identifying the site at kh. ed Deir as the monastery of Severianus. Hirschfeld's argument against this identification was that it does not conform with the sources in terms of its location, being too far from the village of Caparbaricha, Bani' Na'im of today. He suggested identifying the monastery of Severianus with the remains found at El-Qaserein, located about two km northeast of Bani Na'im.

Church name:

Church

Functional Type:

Monastic

Church type:

Cave church

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

223.90

603.83

Coordinates, ICS system:

173.90

1,103.83

Geographical region:

Judean Desert

Topographical location:

The remains are located on the cliff of a small ravine off Nahal Arugot.

Distance from nearest bishop-seat:

Ca. 28 km (Jerusalem).

Distance from nearest settlement:

8 km (Caparbaricha).

Distance from Roman roads:

Ca. 2 km south of the road connecting Thecoa with En Guedi.

Provincial affiliation:

Palaestina I

Bishopric:

Eleutheropolis

Source of knowledge

Epigraphy:

Epigraphy

Archaeological remains

Surveyed site

Surveyors:

Name	Date
Conder and Kitchener	1871-1877
Marcoff and Chitty	1928

Excavated site

Excavators:

Name	Date
Hirschfeld	1982-1983

Bibliograpy:

Conder, C. R. and Kitchener, H. H., 1883

Marcoff, M. and Chitty, D. J., 1929

Ovadiah, A., 1970

Di Segni, L. and Hirschfeld, Y., 1987

Hirschfeld, Y., 1990

Hirschfeld, Y., 1992

Hirschfeld, Y., 1993

Tsafrir, Y., Di Segni, L. and Green, J., 1994

Patrich, J., 1995

Hirschfeld, Y. and with contributions by Barkay, R., Ben-Arieh R., Calderon R. et alii. , 1999

Di Segni, L., 2005

Magen, Y. and Kagan, E. D., 2012

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

The entrance into the ecclesiastical complex was through the gatehouse (measuring 9.1x10.3 m), consisted of two rectangular rooms with a passage between them. The northern room was paved and decorated with the plain geometrical pattern. The enormous natural cave, located in the center of the monastery complex and to the west from the gatehouse, was used as a cave church (measured 26 m long and 5-11 m wide; height of the ceiling - 3.5-4.8 m; interior area - 200 sq m). It was comprised from a main praying hall (Locus 26), completed with the rectangular altar space from the eastern side (Locus 27), separated with the chancel screen (Г-shaped). To the south from the church the lateral wing was attached (Locus 24). It also was comprised from a praying hall and the eastern altar space, though not separated from the main hall with the chancel screen, only the mosaic floor was more lavishly decorated. To the west from both the cave church and its southern wing the narthex was situated, separated with the wall. The narthex was divided into two rooms of irregular shape (Locus 29, Locus 28). On the mosaic floor plenty of fallen stones from the cave ceiling were found. The fragments of the greenish glass window panes, that were found on the floor, epitomize the row of the windows in the superstructure of the wall. To the south-east from the church and outside the gatehouse a small burial chapel was built, comprising of a small rectangular hall with an apse on its east; the chapel was lavishly decorated with the mosaic. After a partial past collapse of the ceiling the mouth of the cavewas blocked by a wall of large blocks with an opening in its center. Remains of glass window panes that had been located in the upper part of the wall were found. The church was decorated with the mosaic floor and marble liturgical furniture. The furniture included several altar tables, elements of chancel screen and a unique square tablet consisting of eight triangles.

Description

Illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Photos

Figures

Kh. ed-Deir- reconstruction of the cave church (Hirschfeld 1999: 126).

Façade and entries:

The entrance to the cave church was in the center of the southern wall that closed the mouth of the cave. It was 1 m wide, but no threshold or jambs were revealed, so probably, the door was made from wood.

Lateral walls:

The rock walls of the cave were partially lined with masonry and plastered. The southern wall that closed the mouth of the cave was well built and had a window at the top to allow light into the cave (W36). The walls of the gatehouse (W22; W32, W33; W34, W35) were built of two faces of ashlars on hewn rock foundation. They were rather thick - 0.9 m. Their inner side was covered with 2 layers of plaster, each 1 cm thick. The natural rock walls of the cave were also covered with plaster, 0.2-0.8 m thick, depending on the relief of the surface. Sometimes the plaster was added with the layer of fieldstones (the northern rock hewn wall W39).

Nave:

The prayer hall was rectangular (9 x 11 m). The space was formed by construction of walls that partitioned the prayer hall from the auxiliary spaces within the cave. The floor of the prayer hall was paved with a mosaic of fine workmanship and a Greek inscription within a tabula ansata. Two other mosaic carpets are located on the southern part of the hall, the most intricate and colorful one is in front of the reliquary niche.

Bema, chancel screen and apse:

The apse is square, it had been evened out by hewing. Two niches were cut into the back wall for liturgical use. One of the niche was located on the eastern wall of the southern wing. It was semicircular, 1.1 m in diameter, 1.8 m high. The other one, smaller, was located on the eastern wall of the main church altar space. It was oval, 0.4 m wide, 0.6 m high, 0.4 m deep; the base was 1.45 m from the floor. The bema (5 x 7 m) was raised and surrounded with a chancel screen of marble. The stylobate on which the screen stood remained in situ. A fragment of greenish marble chancel screen panel was found prior to the excavation. The main entrance to the bema, 1 m wide, is on the west with a second entry on the south. The floor of the bema was paved with a floral-patterned mosaic. On the northern wall of the church (W39) there were two other ancillary niches. The western niche was 0.6 m above the floor (0.95 m wide, 0.75 m deep; ca. 1.25 m high (damaged); Fig. 62). The eastern niche (near the chancel screen, prothesis side) was relatively small: it measured 0.7x0.9 m, 0.4 m high. Probably, it was used for keeping liturgical objects.

Lateral spaces:

West of the prayer hall there are three auxiliary rooms: a central chamber and two smaller ones. The central of the three, measuring 4.5 x 8.8 m, probably served as a diakonikon. The three rooms were also paved with mosaics over which the rock ceiling had collapsed with time. The northernmost of these rooms was partially excavated (measured 2.2x3.4 m; W39, W43). The westernmost room (measured 5.5x2.2/4.4 m) was located in the depth of the cave. Probably, it was a cell, occupied by priest or a monk responsible for the services or other responsibilities, as lighting of the lamps, for the example.

Small finds

Small finds illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Photos

Figures

Detailed description

Structure

Orientation:

Facing east

Materials applied (walls):

Limestone

Atrium:

Water cistern:

Yes

Narthex:

Church Head/Chevet:

second apse on the s

Central Apse Category:

quadrangular

Bema type:

Miscellaneous shape

Bema type text:

The bema is vaguely rectangular, making use of the natural space which had been smoothed by hewing. It covers ca. two thirds of the width of the prayer hall with a space to its south where a reliquary niche was hewn into the rock wall.

Elevation of Bema above nave:

1 step up

Altar remains:

plate

legs

foundations

base plate

Altar type:

Marble, table like

Altar location:

In the middle of the bema

Secondary tables:

Polylobed table, square table/tablet consisting of eight triangle elements (connected with bronze nails and insribed with Greek letters)

Cult of relics

Cult of relics loci:

S apse

Reliquiaries: shapes and contents:

The lower part of the niche located in the southern annex of the church was partially hewn in the rock, partially masonry built. The depression was carved in the mid of the base, measured 0.2x0.3 m, 0.18 m deep. It was intended for keeping of the reliquary.

Baptism

Loci:

The baptistery was located to the southeast of the cave-church.

Font structure:

Masonry built

External shape:

rectangular

Internal shape:

rectangular

Attached structures

Baptistery:

Simple rectangular room

Baptistery description:

The baptistery - a quadrangular room (3.5 x 9 m, external measurements) was located to the east of the cave-church. It was constructed adjacent to the cliff face, its entrance facing the church. The chamber was paved with a simple patterned mosaic. A small depression in the southwestern corner served as a sump and a small depression where a pitcher was kept was found nearby. The baptismal font (0.7 x 1.09, 0.6 m deep) built to the north of the entrance, was masonry constructed, its inner surface plastered. A single cistern served the church and the baptistery.

Burial room or chapel:

Apsidal chapel

Burial room or chapel description:

1. An apsidal burial chapel for priests and deacons was installed to the SE of the church, outside the gatehouse. The chapel was lavishly decorated with a mosaic floor. 2. A small burial chamber is located beyond the western wall of the church. A small vestibule paved with a mosaic featuring two crosses and an inscription relating to the resurrection is leading in. The opening to the chamber was carefully constructed, holding a stone(?) door. The interior of the chamber, partially rock-cut, measures 2 x 2.8 m. A rock bench about 2 m long, 0.7 m wide and 0.5 m high was installed in it. seemingly the founding abbot of the monastery was buried there.

Architectural Evolution

General outline	Dating material	Iconoclastic evidence	Phase no.	Century	Within century
The foundation of the monastery is dated to the late fifth or early sixth century. During this period the church and the chapel were built	Based on the style of the mosaics in comparison with those at Martyrius and Masada. Other dating material: coins, church furnishings, glass, and pottery are gerenally dated to the Byzantine period.	No	Phase 1	5th c.	Late
At some stage, perhaps in the sixth century, the ceiling of the cave collapsed, possibly as a result of an earthquake and some of the spaces went out of use. The further rebuilding considerably changed the planning of the ecclesiatical complex.			Phase 2	6th c.
The monastery was abandoned in an orderly fashion sometime in the Early Islamic period.	The pottery assemblage and paucity of finds.	No	Abandonment	7th c?

Post Arab conquest history:

Abandoned