An Israeli archaeological team has discovered a sixth-century Byzantine church with highly decorated mosaic floors.
The Civil Administration's Archaeology Unit, which oversees historical sites in Judea and Samaria, announced Wednesday that the church was found in Jericho, a Palestinian city located in the West Bank, according to the Times of Israel.
The agency is part of the Israeli government's Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories, which falls under the Ministry of Defense.
The media outlet reports that the church is 250 square meters, which would have made it a relatively large church for its time. The Civil Administration stated that the church was still in use during the early Muslim period, according to the report.
Islam arrived in the region in the early seventh century, when the Muslim army conquered Jerusalem in 636. According to the report, the church's mosaic floors were not damaged by iconoclasm—the destruction of religious images—even though Islam prohibits the public display of icons and images.
According to the Times, the nave of the church is almost entirely preserved. The nave is the central part of the church where the laity prays, kneels, and praises during the liturgy. An elaborate mosaic of vine braids and depictions of animals covers the nave, according to the Times.
The Civil Administration stated that the church was built with materials not native to the region, including marble and bituminous black stone, the newspaper reports.
The Civil Administration said it would have been difficult to transport these materials to the area, indicating that the church's builders were wealthy, according to the report.
A three-meter-long Greek inscription commemorating two public figures who contributed to the church's construction, Georgios and Nonus, was also found in the church, according to the Times.
According to the newspaper, the area where the church was located experienced a major earthquake in the year 749 that destroyed churches throughout the region. The church, however, was abandoned before the earthquake, according to the report.
The Civil Administration stated that it "places great importance on the discovery of antiquities" and will continue its archaeological work "to continue uncovering the region's glorious past," according to the Times.
The church ruins will be displayed at the Good Samaritan Museum, along with the mosaics, according to the newspaper. The museum is located near Ma'ale Adumim in the West Bank.
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The museum is dedicated to sharing the historical evidence of the Jewish, Christian, and Samaritan religions, according to its website.
In the early to mid-sixth century, the region where the church was found would have been under the governance of the Catholic Emperor Justinian of the Byzantine Empire.
This article was originally published in English by Catholic World Report (Article Link). It is republished and translated with the author's permission.