13289 - Castra Samaritanorum; Ḥorvat Qastra; Khirbet Kafr Samir - Western Church

Castra Samaritanorum; Ḥorvat Qastra; Khirbet Kafr Samir - Western Church

Church Name, type, function

Site Name:

Castra Samaritanorum; Ḥorvat Qastra; Khirbet Kafr Samir

Identification:

Unlike the excavators, Di Segni [2009] maintains that the site is to be identified with Castra Samaritanorum (Castra of Samaritans), located on the foothills of Mount Carmel (as according to the Piacenza Pilgrim). In the Rabbinic literature Castra is mentioned as neighboring and hostile town to Jewish Haifa. Due to the fact that two churches were exposed on the site, indicating that this was a Christian settlement, the excavators suggested that the most likely identification is Porphyreon, a bishop’s see. An argument against this identification is the fact that Procopius of Caesarea mentioned Porphyreon as a city on the seashore, while Khirbet Kafr Samir is located on a hill, at some distance from the sea.

Church name:

Western Church

Functional Type:

Parochial

Church type:

Basilical - Basilica with an annexed chapel

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

197.37

744.25

Coordinates, ICS system:

147.37

1,244.25

Geographical region:

Mt. Carmel

Topographical location:

The church was situated at the base of the Carmel's western spurs, about 1.2 km east of the seashore.

Distance from nearest bishop-seat:

Ca. 10km (Porphyreon); 33 km (Caesarea)

Distance from nearest settlement:

Inside the settlement.

Provincial affiliation:

Phoenice I

Bishopric:

Porphyreon

Source of knowledge

Archaeological remains

Surveyed site

Surveyors:

Name	Date
Olami Y.	1965

Excavated site

Excavators:

Name	Date
Yeivin Z., Finkielsztejn G.	1993-1997

Bibliograpy:

Siegelmann, A., 1996

Yeivin, Z. and Finkielsztejn, G., 1999

Finkielsztejn, G., 2005

Yeivin, Z. and Finkielsztejn, G., 2008

Di Segni, L., 2009

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

Only the foundations of the church were preserved. It was basilica without a narthex, with a round apse, flanked by two pastophoria and an attached chapel on the south. The dimensions of the building are 16 x 12 m.

Description

Illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Photos

Mosaic pavement of the apse. Yeivin, Finkielsztejn 1999: p. 35.

The western church: view from the east. Finkielsztejn 2005: p. 443.

Figures

Plan of the western church. Yeivin, Finkielsztejn 1999: p. 33.

Mosaic pavement exposed in the western church. Finkielsztejn 2005: p. 444.

Atrium:

To the west of the church a wide area (25 x 10 m) paved with white mosaic was exposed. At its center an earlier mosaic-paved roofed poolwas found. The southwestern part of the church was built over this pool. The excavators suggest that the northwestern part of the paved area served as an atrium for the church.

Aisles:

The floor of the northern aisle was supported by an arch built over a vat of wine press. It was decorated by mosaics with geometric and floral motives. In the northern aisle remains of a mosaic floor was found and a fragmentary Greek inscription in one of the intercolumations (the fourth from the east).

Bema, chancel screen and apse:

The floor of the apse was decorated by mosaic depicting an amphora with grape vines and a large cross above it. The amphora was seemingly flanked by two nimals that did not survived (perhapse a result of iconoclasm that spared the amphora and the cross). The bema was enlarged westward.

Lateral spaces:

Two pastophoria; their floors disappeared. The northern one was repaved by marble fragments at some later stage. Fragments of a reliquiary were found there.

Small finds

Detailed description

Structure

Orientation:

Facing east

Materials applied (walls):

Limestone

Narthex:

Aisles:

East end:

External apse, round

Church Head/Chevet:

monoapsidal with lockable pastophoria (mon-aps II)

Central Apse Category:

apsidal

Bema type:

U shaped

Altar remains:

no remains

Apse shape:

Hemispherical

Pastophoria

Pastophoria loci:

N & S

Description and function of northern:

The function is unknown.

Description and function of southern:

The function is unknown.

Cult of relics

Reliquiaries: shapes and contents:

Remains of a reliquary were uncovered in the northern pastophorium. In addition, in the eastern end of the southern chapel, under floor between the two mosaic carpets.

Baptism

Font structure:

Masonry built

External shape:

hexagonal

Internal shape:

circular

Ben-Pechat type:

Attached structures

Baptistery:

Simple rectangular room

Baptistery description:

East of the apse, a small hexagonal vat with an inner circular contour was exposed in a poorly preserved room, 5x5.5m in dimensions. It was interpreted by the excavators as a baptismal font, but it might have been just a vat of an oil press, located under the beam.

Martyrs chapel:

Quadrangular chapel

Martyrs chapel description:

The chapel with the reliquary was added to the church on the south at the end of the sixth or early seventh century. The eastern and western thirds of the chapel had mosaic floors. No separating walls between the three units

Architectural Evolution

General outline	Dating material	Iconoclastic evidence	Iconoclastic evidence comments	Phase no.	Century	Within century	Subphase A - Century	Subphase A - Within century
A basilica without a narthex.	Style of the mosaics and similarity to the second phase of the northeastern church. At the end of the sixth century or beginning of the seventh a chapel with a reliquary was added along the southern side of the church.	Undetermined	Suggested in the apse; eliminating the two animals that flanked the amphora, but this is not certain. The fact hat the cross remained intact suggests a Christian iconoclasm (if at all).	Phase 1	5th c.	Second half	6th c.	Late
				Abandonment	7th-8th c.

Post Arab conquest history:

Unmodified