13324 - Beit Safafa - Church

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Beit Safafa - Church

Church Name, type, function

Site Name: 
Beit Safafa
Church name: 
Church
Functional Type: 
Funerary chapel
Church type: 
Basilical - Free standing basilica

Location

Coordinates, ITM system: 
218.55
628.42
Coordinates, ICS system: 
168.55
1,128.38
Geographical region: 
Judean Hills
Provincial affiliation: 
Palaestina I

Source of knowledge

Epigraphy: 

Archaeological remains

Excavated site
Excavators: 
NameDate
Landau, Y.
1952
Bibliograpy: 
Avi-Yonah, M., 1954
Landau, J. and Avi Yonah, M., 1957
Avi-Yonah, M., 1957
Di Segni, L., 1993
Tsafrir, Y., Di Segni, L. and Green, J., 1994
Di Segni, L., 1997
Bagatti, B., 2002
Di Segni, L., 2003
Cotton, H. M., Di Segni, L., Eck, W., Isaac,B., Kushnir-Stein, A., Misgav, H., Price, J., Roll, I. and ‎Yardeni‎, A., 2010–2012‎
Abbreviation for Journals and Series

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered: 
A rectangular chapel with two aisles, a nave, and no apse. Located next to mausoleum. Dimensions: 7.5X8 m.

Description

Illustrative material: 
Façade and entries: 

A threshold of two steps, 3 m. wide, was found in the northern half of the eastern wall. A fragment of chancel was in secondary use in the upper step.

Nave: 

Covered in a geometric mosaic floor. An inscription was uncovered in the western end.

Aisles: 

Separated from the nave by a colonnade of three columns, only two survived between the nave and south aisle. Covered in a mosaic decorated in pink and blue. At the west end of the northern aisle a small paved hole for collecting water.

Small finds

Small finds: 
CategoryDescription
Metal objects
Six decorated lead coffins, 4 large and two small ones were found in the mausoleum south of the chapel.
Bones
A few month old infant was found in one of the small coffins.
Pottery
Late Byzantine pottery was found in the chapel and in the area of the tombs.
Glass
Found in the chapel and in the area of the tombs.
Oil lamps
Fragment of an oil lamp with a Greek inscription, a handle with a cross and a handle with an Arab stamp. Can be dated to the 6th-7th century.
Inscription - see under epigraphy
A four line Greek inscription was found at the western edge of the nave. The inscription was surrounded by a Tabula Anasta, 230 cm. long and 30 cm. high. Bagatti identifies the 'holy martyrs' mentioned as the Forty Martyrs, soldiers of the Twelfth Legion Fulminata, who were imprisoned and executed in 320, and their relics were brought to Palestine in the first half of the fifth century.
Small finds illustrative material: 

Detailed description

Structure

Orientation: 
Fasing west
Materials applied (roofing): 
tiles
Aisles: 
2
Colonnades / Arcades: 
Colonnade
Number of nave columns in a row: 
Total Extant in S
3
2

Burial loci

Burials loci: 
A mausoleum divided by thin wall 17 cm. wide, into 7-8 tombs with white mosaic floors and covered by stone slabs. Four of the tombs contained lead coffins and own contained two small lead coffins. One of the small coffins contained an infant only a few months old.

Architectural Evolution

General outlineDating materialPhase no.CenturyWithin century
See General description

Landau dates the construction to no earlier than the end of the 5th century, based on pottery. In accordance, Avi Yonah dated the inscription to 491 CE according to the Diocletianic era of the martyrs. Tchekhanovets is of the opinion that the burials pre date the chapel.

Phase 1
5th c.
Late
Mosaic floor laid.

Avi Yonah's reading of the inscription was rejected by Di Segni (1993), who suggested the reading 6200 according to the creation era, which corresponds to year 596 CE. Later Di Segni (1997), suggested a date according to a different creation era, that corresponds to year 701 CE, yet maintaining that both readings are possible. 

Phase 2
8th c.
Early
Abandonment
Unknown
Post Arab conquest history: 
Built anew
Post conquest history comments: 
It is possible that the chapel was built in 701.