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‘Atiqot 89 (2017)
ISBN 2948-040X
Mosaic Floors, Liturgical Vessels and Furniture, and Architectural Sculpture from the Byzantine Monastery in Nahal Qidron, Jerusalem
(pp. 83–100)
Lihi Habas
Keywords: Byzantine period, monastery, church, Christianity, art, liturgy, architecture, iconography
Salvage excavations in Nahal Qidron, south of Jerusalem, revealed a monastery adorned with mosaic floors. A composition of geometric interlaces populated with animals decorated the floor of the church hall, while geometric and vegetal carpets decorated the vestibule. Stylistic and technical analyses of the mosaics indicate a date in the mid-sixth century CE. Liturgical furniture made of imported marble, alongside local stone imitations, as well as architectural sculpture, were also found at the site. Fragments of two liturgical vessels, a marble panel, a fragment of a leg of an altar table and a limestone bracket were found.