Publication Date
End of the 6th century AD / beginning of the 7th century AD, renewed in the year 149 / 767 AD
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
monument;ISL;jo;Mon01;31;ar
Library Location
The center of the ancient city of Madaba, which is located 45 km southeast of Amman, Madaba, Jordan
Date
End of the 6th century AD / beginning of the 7th century AD, renewed in the year 149 / 767 AD
Notes
At the end of the 6th century and the beginning of the 7th century AD, four churches were built in central areas bordering the paved Roman street that runs through the center of Madaba, extending from east to west. These churches contributed to confirming the Christian identity of the city. One of these four churches is the Church of the Virgin, which was built according to a central plan. The structure consists of a circular nave and an altar cavity built over rooms roofed with barrel vaults. The church was built at the end of the 6th century AD and the beginning of the 7th century AD, and the current mosaic floor dates back to the year 149 / 767 - that is, the beginning of the Abbasid era. The mosaic floor decorations consist of three concentric circles confined within a square frame with overlapping circles inside. The central circle contains a Greek inscription reminding those entering the church of the necessity of spiritual purity necessary to conduct rituals of prayer and worship. Although the mosaic floor decoration is limited to geometric shapes and does not contain human or animal figures, the Greek inscription indicates the presence of an icon of the Virgin Mary - perhaps in the upper part of the altar apse. The partition separating the altar cavity (the Holy of Holies) from the nave is preceded by another Greek inscription of eight lines placed within a rectangular frame bordered on each side by a triangle (tabula ansata). This inscription indicates that the church was renovated and beautified by the residents of Madaba and those who loved Jesus Christ, in the year corresponding to the year 149 / 767 according to the Creatio Mundi calendar. The importance of this church goes back to its late history, as it is the last known church in Jordan. This shows that seventeen years after the fall of the Umayyad Caliphate, a large and wealthy Christian community was still residing in Madaba, capable of rebuilding and decorating the church.
Sample Text
Ghazi Bisheh “Church of the Virgin, mosaic floor” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;jo;Mon01;31;ar
