Aisleless Temple

Aisleless Temple

en

ABD.12

40.932254

24.972374

Single – nave Temple.
A simple, single-nave Byzantine church, which is dated back to the 12th century and, based on its location and use, was considered as a Cemetery. This small size temple, was built from architectural parts collected from the surrounding area, and it was used after the destruction of the older royal cemetery, which was located outside the walls.
The dimensions of the temple are 7,25m x 5,40m with a three-sided exterior niche on its eastern side. Externally, and on both entrance sides two pilasters are formed. The floor is made of bricks. The masonry is very meticulous and is consisted of horizontal layers of large, carved marble and limestone, which were coming from earlier buildings.
Around the church there is a cemetery, from which sixty four graves got examined. The majority of these graves were box and pit shaped. The cemetery, which also has a yard, is dated back to the 13th century and is probably the cemetery of the village in the late Byzantine years. Perhaps this could be an indication of the gradual, descend in the number of people of the city.
Here, it appears for the first time the burial of the dead inside wooden coffins, a fact which is indicated by the great number of nails found in the area and specifically in positions which identify the form of the burial.

AH