Architecture

Byzantine Church (Petra)

The Byzantine Church at Petra (also known as The Petra Church) is a prime example of monumental architecture in Byzantine Petra. It sits on elevated ground in the city center, north of the so-called Colonnaded Street. It is one of three Byzantine churches on the hillside, the others two being the Ridge Church (or Red Church) and the Blue Chapel, the 5th - 6th century chapel north of the main church, so called because it was fashioned with blue Egyptian granite. The Byzantine Church is notable for its lavish and well-preserved mosaic decoration. The Byzantine Church is the find spot of 140 papyri that have provided scholars with valuable information about life in both Byzantine Petra and in its rural surroundings. These are referred to by scholars as the Petra papyri. The church was excavated by the American Center of Oriental Research (ACOR) between 1992 and 2002. According to Dr. Barbara A. Porter, Director of ACOR 2006-2020, while many elements of Petra's Byzantine history were known prior, the “remarkable concentration of church wealth” demonstrated via these three hillside churches is of great scholarly significance.

Also on this shelf

See also

• ▸Altes Museum
• ▸James Balog
• ▸Cathedral Ruins in Hamar

Uncatalogued shelf

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