DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.45598#0053
Macrata.
89
There is this difference, however,
large walled court,
o
them were inscribed. The piers have caps of right lined profile. The preserved windows
in the south aisle wall have mouldings of late fifth century profile, and the remnants
of string mouldings and a base moulding in this wall appear to belong to the same epoch.
The large building at the west end of the cloister court suggests the chapter
a
that long narrow rooms are often placed between the large, square, arched apartments,
and there can be no doubt that some of these narrow passages were1 provided with
stairs. Colonnades in two stories extended across the front of the residences, and were,
houses of later centuries. There
is one large room spanned by
a broad arch south of the middle,
and a long narrow room open-
ing into the larger apartment.
This building and the double
arched gateway adjoining it on
the south side of the court,
together with all the other
buildings about the court, were
of limestone. To the east of
the church was another group
of buildings that was probably
connected with it. They are
now in complete ruins; but at
the eastern side of the group
one can trace the remains of
a fine arched gateway with
moulded pier caps and moulded
and inscribed voussoirs, the
central one of which was or-
namented with a wreath of
leaves and flowers in high relief.
Domestic Architecture.
All the existing private houses
of Ma'rata are planned on the
system in vogue in the western
mountains, i.e. with the resi-
dence portion on one side of
in some cases, carried along one wall of the court-yard; vestibules with an exterior
doorway and an interior arch were almost invariably used. A number of the houses
were built of limestone throughout, and others were entirely of basalt, while there are
several examples in which a combination of the two materials was employed. The
houses are all of large size, were well built, and their architectural details are excel-
lently finished. In general they are in a better state of preservation than any houses
in the region.
House No. i. This house (Ill. 99) was built entirely of basalt, it is not so well
preserved as some of the other houses, on this site. Its walls are standing to a height
of 2 m. or more, but are almost completely buried in debris. Its columns, with one
89
There is this difference, however,
large walled court,
o
them were inscribed. The piers have caps of right lined profile. The preserved windows
in the south aisle wall have mouldings of late fifth century profile, and the remnants
of string mouldings and a base moulding in this wall appear to belong to the same epoch.
The large building at the west end of the cloister court suggests the chapter
a
that long narrow rooms are often placed between the large, square, arched apartments,
and there can be no doubt that some of these narrow passages were1 provided with
stairs. Colonnades in two stories extended across the front of the residences, and were,
houses of later centuries. There
is one large room spanned by
a broad arch south of the middle,
and a long narrow room open-
ing into the larger apartment.
This building and the double
arched gateway adjoining it on
the south side of the court,
together with all the other
buildings about the court, were
of limestone. To the east of
the church was another group
of buildings that was probably
connected with it. They are
now in complete ruins; but at
the eastern side of the group
one can trace the remains of
a fine arched gateway with
moulded pier caps and moulded
and inscribed voussoirs, the
central one of which was or-
namented with a wreath of
leaves and flowers in high relief.
Domestic Architecture.
All the existing private houses
of Ma'rata are planned on the
system in vogue in the western
mountains, i.e. with the resi-
dence portion on one side of
in some cases, carried along one wall of the court-yard; vestibules with an exterior
doorway and an interior arch were almost invariably used. A number of the houses
were built of limestone throughout, and others were entirely of basalt, while there are
several examples in which a combination of the two materials was employed. The
houses are all of large size, were well built, and their architectural details are excel-
lently finished. In general they are in a better state of preservation than any houses
in the region.
House No. i. This house (Ill. 99) was built entirely of basalt, it is not so well
preserved as some of the other houses, on this site. Its walls are standing to a height
of 2 m. or more, but are almost completely buried in debris. Its columns, with one