Nestorian hermitage Complete

ID: 144

Building type: chapel

Context:

hermitage

Site:

Inscriptions:

232

Description:

The complex comprised a sizable residential chamber paired with a smaller chapel. Both spaces were erected in unbaked brick and finished with several coats of plaster. The surviving remains are poorly preserved. The chapel, set to the south of the living cell and measuring approximately 8 by 6 meters, is rectangular. A small recess occupies the eastern corner, and a void in the cobbled paving beside it suggests the former placement of an altar. The floor was laid in tesserae, though the mosaic work is of inferior execution. In the northwestern corner a well was provided for collecting water. At the center of the pavement, a black circular band encloses a Syriac inscription. The adjoining living chamber was floored with flagstones arranged to form a cross, with pebbles filling the spaces between the arms. Interruptions in the paving on both sides of the doorway leading into the chapel likely marked the position of a bench or a table. A further recess in the west wall yielded pottery, glass, and bronze items.