DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.45603#0067
200
II. B. 4.
terminated in spirals at the ends, and were carried upward to describe a small semi-
circle over the middle space. The front wall of the church has four stories of open-
ings. In the first there are the main portal and two windows, one in the end of
each aisle, opening into the narthex: above this there is a group of three windows,
- a large window between two smaller ones, - in the space between the half-gables
of the side aisles, and on a level just above the interior arches. On the clearstory
level there is a single small window above the large central window of the group
below. The crowning moulding of the clearstory is carried straight across below the
pediment, and the pediment itself is pierced with three windows, again a larger one
between two smaller openings. All of these openings are delicately moulded. The
great portal is a direct copy of the side portals in the churches of the early part of
the fifth century in the neighbouring towns of Babiska,1 Ksedjbeh,3 Dar Kita3 and the
convent of Kasr il-Benat,4 all of which perhaps were designed by the same architect,
unless indeed we have here an old doorway with a later inscription. The mouldings
of the windows in the ends of the aisles, like those of the windows of the side walls,
were returned at the sill level and carried along as a belt course. The cornice of the
aisle walls was brought around and carried straight across the end of the aisles, to
form, with the raking cornice of the aisle roofs, a half pediment on either side of the
wall of the central nave. The mouldings of the three windows on this level are curved
in narrow loops between the openings and fall far below the sill level on either side.
At this point one observes a strange feature which suggests that the narthex was a
later addition - an afterthought - unless we conclude that the builders were far more
clever in their use of stone than of wood ; for the roof of the narthex, in the way it
was joined to the facade, quite spoiled an otherwise beautiful design. The holes in
the wall for the reception of the ends of the rafters, instead of being placed below
the horizontal cornice of the half pediments, were set above it, which made a very
ugly connection at the ends of the roof where the horizontal and raking cornices were
joined in the usual manner. But these holes may be of later date than the original
narthex. The small window on the clearstory level was provided with mouldings as
heavy as those of the large openings; they are twisted into large volutes on either
side. The line of the horizontal cornice of the pediment is broken at two points by
carrying all the members of the mouldings up over small semi-circles, and the coved,
or hollow, member is studded with hemi-spherical bosses like those which adorn the
cornice of the baptistery of the West Church. In the pediment, the wall surface is
almost concealed by the mouldings of the little windows, which are looped up between
the openings. This is the best preserved facade of its date in all Northern Syria, and
it is most important in giving suggestions for the restoration of other facades. The
east wall is quite flat and far less interesting than the facade; but it is treated in a
different spirit. There are only four windows here, two in the presbyterium, and one
in each of the side chambers. The cornice of the side aisle walls is brought around
and carried horizontally across the east walls of the side chambers, and is then turned
upward and returned again to form the horizontal cornice of the rear wall of the pres-
byterium, just as we found in the church of St. Sergius at Dar Kita (Ill. 191). The
frame mouldings of the windows are exceptionally heavy; they are mitred out at the
1 cf. p. 166.
2 cf. p. 159.
3 Cf. Ill. 189.
4 cf. p. II B. 5, Town No. 63.
II. B. 4.
terminated in spirals at the ends, and were carried upward to describe a small semi-
circle over the middle space. The front wall of the church has four stories of open-
ings. In the first there are the main portal and two windows, one in the end of
each aisle, opening into the narthex: above this there is a group of three windows,
- a large window between two smaller ones, - in the space between the half-gables
of the side aisles, and on a level just above the interior arches. On the clearstory
level there is a single small window above the large central window of the group
below. The crowning moulding of the clearstory is carried straight across below the
pediment, and the pediment itself is pierced with three windows, again a larger one
between two smaller openings. All of these openings are delicately moulded. The
great portal is a direct copy of the side portals in the churches of the early part of
the fifth century in the neighbouring towns of Babiska,1 Ksedjbeh,3 Dar Kita3 and the
convent of Kasr il-Benat,4 all of which perhaps were designed by the same architect,
unless indeed we have here an old doorway with a later inscription. The mouldings
of the windows in the ends of the aisles, like those of the windows of the side walls,
were returned at the sill level and carried along as a belt course. The cornice of the
aisle walls was brought around and carried straight across the end of the aisles, to
form, with the raking cornice of the aisle roofs, a half pediment on either side of the
wall of the central nave. The mouldings of the three windows on this level are curved
in narrow loops between the openings and fall far below the sill level on either side.
At this point one observes a strange feature which suggests that the narthex was a
later addition - an afterthought - unless we conclude that the builders were far more
clever in their use of stone than of wood ; for the roof of the narthex, in the way it
was joined to the facade, quite spoiled an otherwise beautiful design. The holes in
the wall for the reception of the ends of the rafters, instead of being placed below
the horizontal cornice of the half pediments, were set above it, which made a very
ugly connection at the ends of the roof where the horizontal and raking cornices were
joined in the usual manner. But these holes may be of later date than the original
narthex. The small window on the clearstory level was provided with mouldings as
heavy as those of the large openings; they are twisted into large volutes on either
side. The line of the horizontal cornice of the pediment is broken at two points by
carrying all the members of the mouldings up over small semi-circles, and the coved,
or hollow, member is studded with hemi-spherical bosses like those which adorn the
cornice of the baptistery of the West Church. In the pediment, the wall surface is
almost concealed by the mouldings of the little windows, which are looped up between
the openings. This is the best preserved facade of its date in all Northern Syria, and
it is most important in giving suggestions for the restoration of other facades. The
east wall is quite flat and far less interesting than the facade; but it is treated in a
different spirit. There are only four windows here, two in the presbyterium, and one
in each of the side chambers. The cornice of the side aisle walls is brought around
and carried horizontally across the east walls of the side chambers, and is then turned
upward and returned again to form the horizontal cornice of the rear wall of the pres-
byterium, just as we found in the church of St. Sergius at Dar Kita (Ill. 191). The
frame mouldings of the windows are exceptionally heavy; they are mitred out at the
1 cf. p. 166.
2 cf. p. 159.
3 Cf. Ill. 189.
4 cf. p. II B. 5, Town No. 63.