Beth Neqofa - Church
Church Name, type, function
Site Name:
Beth Neqofa
Church name:
Church
Functional Type:
Pilgrims' church
Church type:
Basilical - Basilica with an annexed chapel
Location
Coordinates, ITM system:
212.04
634.89
Coordinates, ICS system:
162.02
1,138.88
Geographical region:
Judean Hills
Distance from Roman roads:
Built on the road leading from Jerusalem to the coast.
Provincial affiliation:
Palaestina I
Bishopric:
Jerusalem
Source of knowledge
Archaeological remains
Surveyed site
Surveyors:
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
Ein-Mor, D. | 2007 |
Excavated site
Excavators:
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
Nagar, A. | 2015 |
General description
State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:
A basilical church (the central nave and apse did not survive) with a narthex and two rooms annexed on the north.
Description
Illustrative material:
Narthex:
In the south of the narthex there is a plastered onstruction that was built with the room and based on pottery has gone out of use in the first half of the 7th century.
Lateral walls:
Made of large field stones; plastered. In the north of the church the walls survived to a hight of three courses and in the south to a hight of 2.
Nave:
The stylobates eperating the nave from the aisles were uncovered. The nave itself did not survive
Bema, chancel screen and apse:
Did not survive.
Lateral spaces:
two lockable rooms.
Small finds
Small finds:
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
Oil lamps | Some are decorated by crosses. |
Glass | fragments of glass vasseles and windows |
Coins | |
Stone vessels | fragments of basalt vessels |
Metal objects | nails |
Detailed description
Structure
Orientation:
Facing east
Narthex:
Yes
Aisles:
2
East end:
Internal apse
Church Head/Chevet:
monoapsidal with lockable pastophoria (mon-aps II)
Central Apse Category:
apsidal
Burial loci
Burials loci:
North of the Baptismal chapel is a few plastered compartments containing tombs with multiple skeletons. The compartments are built on top of a room connected to the church and are dated to the Islamic period.
Baptism
Font structure:
Monolithic
External shape:
rectangular
Internal shape:
quadrifoil
Ben-Pechat type:
9b
Attached structures
Prothesis chapel / Diakonikon:
Quadrangular chapel
Prothesis chapel / Diakonikon description:
The font, qudrilobed in a square block, was located in the north west corner of the annexed chapel. Font dimesions: 80x80 cm. Its full depth cannot be estimated due to damage. The center of the font is square, 45X45 cm. and 20 cm. deep. with a small depression in the center. See also above, northern annex.
Baptistery:
Quadrangular chapel
Baptistery description:
See above, northern annex. The walls are made of limestone and the floor is paved with a white mosaic .
Architectural Evolution
| Dating material | Phase no. | Century | Within century |
|---|---|---|---|
Based on pottery | Phase 1 | 6th c. | |
Based on pottery the entire site was abanodend in the end of the Byzantine-beginning of the Islamic period. | Abandonment | 7th c. | Mid |
Post Arab conquest history:
Abandoned