DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.45605#0025
The Djebel Simcan — Der Sirrfan 275
three arches of the entrance and the cloister is a wall with an arched portal and two
arched windows in it. A stair-case in the west end of the vestibule connected with
the loggia above it. The three remaining sides of the cloister are exactly similar.
They compose an ambulatory of five bays on a side, in two storeys, both consisting
of monolithic piers and architraves. The lower piers have moulded brackets at the
sides by way of caps and the lower architrave is moulded, the upper storey is plain
and is provided with simple panels between the piers. Behind the piers, on the other
side of the cloister walk, are arcosolia hewn in the living rock which has been evenly
cut away on all three sides of the cloister. There are five of these rock-hewn arcosolia
in the east wall, six in the south and five in the west wall which is flush with the
east wall of the church above, so that the arcosolia are underneath the church. The
archivolts of all the arcosolia are carved with simple mouldings. The back wall of the
upper ambulatory is built directly above the arcosolia. The tombs of this very elaborate
and dignified campo santo may have been intended only for high dignataries of the church.
Other Buildings: The remaining buildings of this group require but little comment.
The buildings which I have called stoas, in the east end of the enclosure are in two
storeys. Two of them had front walls above the rows of piers below. The inns were
also in two storeys, and the great cloister with the long stoa on the north and the
porticos of the inns on the east and west was provided on three sides with covered
walks. All of these buildings are of the plainest variety, consisting of simple upright
monoliths, plain architraves, and massive solid walls, and having no mouldings or other
ornament save their simple cyma-recta cornices.
North Church : This church stands in the northeastern quarter of the ruins. It
preserves its west front almost completely, its side walls in part, and a tower at its
southeast angle in entirety; the interior columns and arches, the half-dome of the apse,
and the walls of the northeast chamber have collapsed. Its ground plan (Ill. 294) is
typical, with a nave of five bays and an apse and side chambers within a straight east
wall. The chamber on the south side of the apse, the prothesis, has an arched entrance,
the other chamber has a doorway upon the north aisle and has direct communication
with the sanctuary. The arcades of the nave terminated in half colums beside the apse.
The apse itself had one large arched window. The western portal and the portals in
the south aisle were provided with bicolumnar porches with double-pitched roofs of stone
slabs as may be seen from the deep sockets in the walls cut to receive them (Ill. 295).
The doorways were embellished with carved bevelled doorcaps and deep frame mouldings
with cusping outside of all. The aisle windows and one of those in the prothesis were
rectangular with incised mouldings on the lintels only. The west faQade has been restored
correctly, for remnants of the round window lie just inside the portal and more than
half of the rest of the wall is in place. The tower is probably to be restored with a
pyramidal roof as no remains of gables were found. The ruins would seem to indicate
that there was no corresponding tower above the diaconicon.
Great Pandocheion : The huge half-ruined structure at the foot of the slope of
St. Simeon’s Mount, at the edge of the southeast quarter of the town, has been described
by M. de Vogue 1 as a pandocheion, and conforms in plan and structure to the type
of building which seems unmistakably to represent the inn for pilgrims. M. de Vogue’s
1 S. C. Pl. 108.
three arches of the entrance and the cloister is a wall with an arched portal and two
arched windows in it. A stair-case in the west end of the vestibule connected with
the loggia above it. The three remaining sides of the cloister are exactly similar.
They compose an ambulatory of five bays on a side, in two storeys, both consisting
of monolithic piers and architraves. The lower piers have moulded brackets at the
sides by way of caps and the lower architrave is moulded, the upper storey is plain
and is provided with simple panels between the piers. Behind the piers, on the other
side of the cloister walk, are arcosolia hewn in the living rock which has been evenly
cut away on all three sides of the cloister. There are five of these rock-hewn arcosolia
in the east wall, six in the south and five in the west wall which is flush with the
east wall of the church above, so that the arcosolia are underneath the church. The
archivolts of all the arcosolia are carved with simple mouldings. The back wall of the
upper ambulatory is built directly above the arcosolia. The tombs of this very elaborate
and dignified campo santo may have been intended only for high dignataries of the church.
Other Buildings: The remaining buildings of this group require but little comment.
The buildings which I have called stoas, in the east end of the enclosure are in two
storeys. Two of them had front walls above the rows of piers below. The inns were
also in two storeys, and the great cloister with the long stoa on the north and the
porticos of the inns on the east and west was provided on three sides with covered
walks. All of these buildings are of the plainest variety, consisting of simple upright
monoliths, plain architraves, and massive solid walls, and having no mouldings or other
ornament save their simple cyma-recta cornices.
North Church : This church stands in the northeastern quarter of the ruins. It
preserves its west front almost completely, its side walls in part, and a tower at its
southeast angle in entirety; the interior columns and arches, the half-dome of the apse,
and the walls of the northeast chamber have collapsed. Its ground plan (Ill. 294) is
typical, with a nave of five bays and an apse and side chambers within a straight east
wall. The chamber on the south side of the apse, the prothesis, has an arched entrance,
the other chamber has a doorway upon the north aisle and has direct communication
with the sanctuary. The arcades of the nave terminated in half colums beside the apse.
The apse itself had one large arched window. The western portal and the portals in
the south aisle were provided with bicolumnar porches with double-pitched roofs of stone
slabs as may be seen from the deep sockets in the walls cut to receive them (Ill. 295).
The doorways were embellished with carved bevelled doorcaps and deep frame mouldings
with cusping outside of all. The aisle windows and one of those in the prothesis were
rectangular with incised mouldings on the lintels only. The west faQade has been restored
correctly, for remnants of the round window lie just inside the portal and more than
half of the rest of the wall is in place. The tower is probably to be restored with a
pyramidal roof as no remains of gables were found. The ruins would seem to indicate
that there was no corresponding tower above the diaconicon.
Great Pandocheion : The huge half-ruined structure at the foot of the slope of
St. Simeon’s Mount, at the edge of the southeast quarter of the town, has been described
by M. de Vogue 1 as a pandocheion, and conforms in plan and structure to the type
of building which seems unmistakably to represent the inn for pilgrims. M. de Vogue’s
1 S. C. Pl. 108.