BFF-42 Byzantine church of ‘glorious martyr’ uncovered in Israel

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ISRAEL-ARCHAEOLOGY-CHURCH

Byzantine church of ‘glorious martyr’ uncovered in Israel

BET SHEMESH, Israel, Oct 23, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – The remains of a sixth-
century Byzantine church dedicated to an unnamed “glorious martyr” with
elaborate mosaics, a rare crypt and a large collection of lamps were unveiled
in central Israel on Wednesday.

The complex, which spans over a third of an acre, was found during salvage
excavations ahead of the construction of a new neighbourhood for the city Bet
Shemesh, west of Jerusalem.

The mosaics in the church depict themes from nature, such as leaves, birds
and fruit, as well as geometrical elements, with imported capitals topping
pillars, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority, which carried out the
excavation.

Most of the construction of the church began during the reign of Emperor
Justinian, who ruled between 527-565, with a chapel added later under Emperor
Tiberius II Constantine, with rare financial support from him, the IAA said
in a statement.

An underground burial chamber with two separate staircases leading to and
from it was found, making it one of the few churches with fully intact crypts
to be found in Israel’s limits, said Benjamin Storchan, who directed the
excavation for the IAA.

The church was dedicated to a “glorious martyr,” whose identity has eluded
the researchers working on the find for the past three years, but the
“exceptional opulence of the structure and its inscriptions indicate that
this person was an important figure,” said Storchan.

Diggers also found what they believe to be “the most complete collection of
Byzantine glass windows and lamps ever found at a single site in Israel.”

The Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem, which is hosting a display on some of
the finds, said that lighting in churches, often perceived as “the
representation of the divine,” enhanced the “dramatic environment for a
powerful religious experiment.”

With its location near Jerusalem, the Church of the Glorious Martyr was
most likely a significant pilgrimage site for Christians en route to the Holy
City, the museum said.

BSS/AFP/SSS/1916 hrs