DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.45598#0013
52
II. B. 2.
certain that this great military structure was built under the same influences as the
buildings at Kasr Ibn Wardan, which is only two hours to the southward. The date
here is six years earlier than the date of the palace, and three years earlier than the
date which Mr. Prentice assigns tentatively to the other barracks. Whether the “esti-
mable Thomas” was responsible for the buildings at both places is another matter.
That the influences under which all these edifices were built were foreign to Syria,
I have attempted to show in my discussion of the ruins at Kasr Ibn Wardan (see
Sec. B, Part i, p. 42). The dates of the whole group of buildings fall within the
closing years of the reign of the Emperor Justinian.
Church No. i. The “Cathedral”, as we called the largest of the churches of
Androna, is situated to the southwest of the barracks, near the crossing of the two
avenues. A general view of the ruined edifice is given in Ill. 41, where it will be
seen that only the walls of the diaconicum and the north and south walls of the pro-
thesis, with parts of the curved wall of the apse between them, are standing at the
east end, and that the west wall retains only a tall section at its southwest angle,
while the side walls and interior arches have totally collapsed. Yet the jambs of the
side portals are still in situ, and the lower courses of the interior piers are sufficient
to give the spans of the great arches. In fact, it is not difficult to find data for a
complete ground plan, and few details have to be supplied in the restoration of ele-
vations and sections. The plan (Ill. 44) is of the ordinary basilica type, showing a
broad central aisle divided from the side aisle by three great arches on either side,
supported on oblong piers. The apse, 9.30 m. broad and 6.50 m. deep, is permitted to
show on the exterior between the prothesis and diaconicum, and has five large windows.
The east walls of both side chambers are wanting; but since the small section of the
east wall in the northern chamber terminates in a pier with moulded cap, and a sug-
gestion of a curved wall is to be found in the ruins outside of both chambers, I have
conjectured that these side chambers were actually chapels with diminutive apses, and
have suggested this restoration in the plan (Ill. 44). The nave arcades terminate to-
ward the west in huge compound piers, 4.70 m. east of the west wall of the church,
and a transverse arch of 8.80 m. span was thrown across the end of the nave at this
point. This great arch was buttressed by lower and much narrower arches over the
side aisles, and the ends of the nave arcades were similarly buttressed by small arches
which sprang from the compound piers to piers in the west wall. These two sets of
small arches thus enclosed square compartments at the ends of the side aisles, and
probably constituted the ground story of two western towers. This disposition of the
west end was often resorted to in churches where the interior supports were widely
spaced and the arches correspondingly broad; indeed it is doubtful if the western-
most arches could have been supported without the lower buttressing arches, unless
the western piers had been given very great salience. In making the two sections
(Ills. 44 and 45) the heights were, in most cases, readily obtained, above the debris,
and only the depth of the debris had to be assumed. This was done by giving or-
dinary proportions to the door of the diaconicum which is to be seen on the left ot
the section A—B. This is now buried almost up to its lintel. The height of the pier
of the chancel arch, and the level of its springing may be obtained from the ruin, as
will be seen in the photograph of the apse (Ill. 46). From the same source the heights
of the piers of the nave and the spring of their arches are found; for the respond
II. B. 2.
certain that this great military structure was built under the same influences as the
buildings at Kasr Ibn Wardan, which is only two hours to the southward. The date
here is six years earlier than the date of the palace, and three years earlier than the
date which Mr. Prentice assigns tentatively to the other barracks. Whether the “esti-
mable Thomas” was responsible for the buildings at both places is another matter.
That the influences under which all these edifices were built were foreign to Syria,
I have attempted to show in my discussion of the ruins at Kasr Ibn Wardan (see
Sec. B, Part i, p. 42). The dates of the whole group of buildings fall within the
closing years of the reign of the Emperor Justinian.
Church No. i. The “Cathedral”, as we called the largest of the churches of
Androna, is situated to the southwest of the barracks, near the crossing of the two
avenues. A general view of the ruined edifice is given in Ill. 41, where it will be
seen that only the walls of the diaconicum and the north and south walls of the pro-
thesis, with parts of the curved wall of the apse between them, are standing at the
east end, and that the west wall retains only a tall section at its southwest angle,
while the side walls and interior arches have totally collapsed. Yet the jambs of the
side portals are still in situ, and the lower courses of the interior piers are sufficient
to give the spans of the great arches. In fact, it is not difficult to find data for a
complete ground plan, and few details have to be supplied in the restoration of ele-
vations and sections. The plan (Ill. 44) is of the ordinary basilica type, showing a
broad central aisle divided from the side aisle by three great arches on either side,
supported on oblong piers. The apse, 9.30 m. broad and 6.50 m. deep, is permitted to
show on the exterior between the prothesis and diaconicum, and has five large windows.
The east walls of both side chambers are wanting; but since the small section of the
east wall in the northern chamber terminates in a pier with moulded cap, and a sug-
gestion of a curved wall is to be found in the ruins outside of both chambers, I have
conjectured that these side chambers were actually chapels with diminutive apses, and
have suggested this restoration in the plan (Ill. 44). The nave arcades terminate to-
ward the west in huge compound piers, 4.70 m. east of the west wall of the church,
and a transverse arch of 8.80 m. span was thrown across the end of the nave at this
point. This great arch was buttressed by lower and much narrower arches over the
side aisles, and the ends of the nave arcades were similarly buttressed by small arches
which sprang from the compound piers to piers in the west wall. These two sets of
small arches thus enclosed square compartments at the ends of the side aisles, and
probably constituted the ground story of two western towers. This disposition of the
west end was often resorted to in churches where the interior supports were widely
spaced and the arches correspondingly broad; indeed it is doubtful if the western-
most arches could have been supported without the lower buttressing arches, unless
the western piers had been given very great salience. In making the two sections
(Ills. 44 and 45) the heights were, in most cases, readily obtained, above the debris,
and only the depth of the debris had to be assumed. This was done by giving or-
dinary proportions to the door of the diaconicum which is to be seen on the left ot
the section A—B. This is now buried almost up to its lintel. The height of the pier
of the chancel arch, and the level of its springing may be obtained from the ruin, as
will be seen in the photograph of the apse (Ill. 46). From the same source the heights
of the piers of the nave and the spring of their arches are found; for the respond