1,500-Year-Old Church With Mosaics Worshipped An Unknown ‘Glorious’ Martyr
Image via A. Peretz, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority
A church of an unknown martyr has been discovered in the Judean Hills, southwest of Jerusalem, Israel. Dating back around 1,500 years, it was flanked with animal mosaics that showed signs of erasure and a Greek inscription that called the martyr “glorious,” but didn’t say who it was.
History shows that the period the church was built, and presumably flourished, in was of the Byzantine Empire, and was expanded in the late 570s AD.
Despite the increased popularity of Islam in the area beginning around 634 AD, the church continued to be in operation until it was abandoned in the 10th century.
In an article published in the magazine Biblical Archaeology Review , Benyamin Storchan of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and lead archaeologist of the excavation of the church, states that he named the building the “Church of the Glorious Martyr” according to its inscription.
The “glorious martyr” is still a mystery; no one is sure of their identity, though there’s a large possibility that it was someone called Zechariah. As noted by Live Science, ancient records show that the tomb of a Christian martyr with the same name was previously found nearby.
Associated texts also detail that a shrine dedicated to someone called Zechariah is somewhere near the site of excavation, and this church might be just that. However, even if all this turned out to be true, we still can’t clarify just which Zechariah this refers to, as it is a name commonly seen in the Bible.
Otherwise, the “real” Zechariah could even be someone who wasn’t mentioned in the Bible in the first place.
The article also details how at first, in the fifth century, the church was a small chapel housed within a cave chamber underground. Then, its expansion saw it move above ground and enjoy more decorations in the form of mosaics. It was presumed the underground chamber was converted into a tomb.
Although originally depicting animal-like (zoomorphic) forms, the mosaics were discovered to hold evidence of destruction of specific imagery and linked artifacts, otherwise known as iconoclasm. According to Storchan, it had taken place in the sixth century, and the animals were defaced or covered with random tesserae to obscure their original design.
“Christian internal reforms” was cited as a probable reason, Storchan tells Live Science. Despite the erasure of zoomorphic creatures, it’s noted that some animal forms were spared. “We can see this, as the chapel floor which [depicted] many birds was not defaced and dated to the late 6th century,” he explains.
Like the mystery of the glorious martyr, the true reason for the iconoclasm can’t be clarified just yet. However, this doesn’t stop Storchan, who teamed up with Roy Albag, architect and 3D researcher, to create a virtual reconstruction of the church.
This can be accessed through a web-based app, which provides the option to go on a guided video tour or have a stroll at your own pace. The app even allows the site to be explored in VR, and “visitors” can wander around the church as they might’ve over a thousand years ago.
[via Live Science, image via A. Peretz, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority]
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