DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.45598#0019
il-Anderin (Androna)
57
The supports of the
I have called these twin churches the Churches of the
inscription 2 upon the portal of one of them, that seems
Twin churches in the East were quite often dedicated
The voussoirs
square in front
arches divided
narrow arches
An inscription 1 was found on the lintel of the west
found save a delicate grape-vine pattern on the jambs
there were three as was usual in the district,
like those in the “Cathedral”; these carried a
and buttressing arches over the side aisles,
enclosed narthex, 4 m. wide, spanned by two
piers, and wall-piers project towards them from the front and side walls.
of the chancel arch, and of the remaining three arches that formed a
of the apse are lying in the ruins. It will be seen that, in plan, these
the interior into an oblong nave and side aisles. In addition to this,
spanned the side aisles and connected the cruciform piers with the west wall; so that
the larger arches were completely buttressed by smaller arches in the western half of
the building, and by the apse and side chambers of the eastern half. Upon this very
perfect system of arches a dome with pendentives could easily have been placed, and
I have no doubt that such a structure, in sun-baked bricks, was the crowning feature
of this little chapel; the mound in the midst of the ruin I take to be the fallen dome.
The form of the dome must be left to conjecture; but, as the modern domes in mud
brick all have their major axes vertical, and since the sixth-century dome of concrete
at Zor'ah in the Hauran has this form, I have drawn such a dome in Ill. 50. The apse
was covered with a half dome of sun-baked bricks, and the spaces that opened out
from the three other arches were probably vaulted with tunnel vaults set on the major
and minor axes of the building; the small square compartments at the end of the side
aisles, and the prothesis and diaconicum, were probably provided with cross vaults, or
short sections of tunnel vaults.
portal. Little ornament was
of the south doorway.
Churches Nos. 4 and 5.
Archangels on account of an
to point to this dedication.
to SS. Sergius and Bacchus, as was the well known pair of churches at Constantinople,
one of which has perished ; it would not seem unlikely that we should find a pair of
churches sacred to SS. Michael and Gabriel, the chief arch-angels. These two churches
(Ill. 51) are situated side by side with a passage, 5.70 m. wide, between them, and
are connected by architectural features at the west. The northern church was the
smaller of the two, a simple basilica of medium size with a portico of arches set on
square piers, on its north and west sides. The lower courses of the walls, the exterior
and interior piers and arches, the jambs and lintels of the doorways and windows were
of well finished basalt, all the rest was of sun-baked bricks that have disintegrated and
buried the stone portions of the walls to within a few centimeters of the top in mounds
of clay. The southern church presents a more unusual and more interesting ground
plan. The apse is set back so that the whole semi-circle protrudes beyond the east
walls of the prothesis and diaconicum; it is enclosed in three sides of an octagon.
The space in front of it, and between the side chambers, thus becomes a choir; this
is 55 cm. wider than the apse. The choir seems to have been covered with a tunnel
vault; it was connected with the prothesis by a narrow door.
nave arcades are buried, so that it is not possible accurately to determine the number
of bays, but it may be assumed that
At the west end were cruciform piers,
broad transverse arch across the nave
Outside of the main west wall was an
1 Div. Ill, inscr. 921.
2 Div. Ill, inscs. 920—^23.
57
The supports of the
I have called these twin churches the Churches of the
inscription 2 upon the portal of one of them, that seems
Twin churches in the East were quite often dedicated
The voussoirs
square in front
arches divided
narrow arches
An inscription 1 was found on the lintel of the west
found save a delicate grape-vine pattern on the jambs
there were three as was usual in the district,
like those in the “Cathedral”; these carried a
and buttressing arches over the side aisles,
enclosed narthex, 4 m. wide, spanned by two
piers, and wall-piers project towards them from the front and side walls.
of the chancel arch, and of the remaining three arches that formed a
of the apse are lying in the ruins. It will be seen that, in plan, these
the interior into an oblong nave and side aisles. In addition to this,
spanned the side aisles and connected the cruciform piers with the west wall; so that
the larger arches were completely buttressed by smaller arches in the western half of
the building, and by the apse and side chambers of the eastern half. Upon this very
perfect system of arches a dome with pendentives could easily have been placed, and
I have no doubt that such a structure, in sun-baked bricks, was the crowning feature
of this little chapel; the mound in the midst of the ruin I take to be the fallen dome.
The form of the dome must be left to conjecture; but, as the modern domes in mud
brick all have their major axes vertical, and since the sixth-century dome of concrete
at Zor'ah in the Hauran has this form, I have drawn such a dome in Ill. 50. The apse
was covered with a half dome of sun-baked bricks, and the spaces that opened out
from the three other arches were probably vaulted with tunnel vaults set on the major
and minor axes of the building; the small square compartments at the end of the side
aisles, and the prothesis and diaconicum, were probably provided with cross vaults, or
short sections of tunnel vaults.
portal. Little ornament was
of the south doorway.
Churches Nos. 4 and 5.
Archangels on account of an
to point to this dedication.
to SS. Sergius and Bacchus, as was the well known pair of churches at Constantinople,
one of which has perished ; it would not seem unlikely that we should find a pair of
churches sacred to SS. Michael and Gabriel, the chief arch-angels. These two churches
(Ill. 51) are situated side by side with a passage, 5.70 m. wide, between them, and
are connected by architectural features at the west. The northern church was the
smaller of the two, a simple basilica of medium size with a portico of arches set on
square piers, on its north and west sides. The lower courses of the walls, the exterior
and interior piers and arches, the jambs and lintels of the doorways and windows were
of well finished basalt, all the rest was of sun-baked bricks that have disintegrated and
buried the stone portions of the walls to within a few centimeters of the top in mounds
of clay. The southern church presents a more unusual and more interesting ground
plan. The apse is set back so that the whole semi-circle protrudes beyond the east
walls of the prothesis and diaconicum; it is enclosed in three sides of an octagon.
The space in front of it, and between the side chambers, thus becomes a choir; this
is 55 cm. wider than the apse. The choir seems to have been covered with a tunnel
vault; it was connected with the prothesis by a narrow door.
nave arcades are buried, so that it is not possible accurately to determine the number
of bays, but it may be assumed that
At the west end were cruciform piers,
broad transverse arch across the nave
Outside of the main west wall was an
1 Div. Ill, inscr. 921.
2 Div. Ill, inscs. 920—^23.