400 CE- era Byzantine church discovered in Banyas nature reserve
A church from the Byzantine period dating to around 400 CE was discovered in the Banyas Springs Nature Reserve, also known as the Nahal Hermon Nature Reserve, as part of archaeological excavations led by the Archaeology Division of the Nature and Parks Authority, under the direction of Prof. Adi Erlich and Ron Lavi of the Zinman University Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa.
The researchers were surprised to discover the remains of a mosaic floor decorated with crosses and other symbols, which indicate that this site was once a church. A large and unusual dressed stone on
which many cross marks were engraved was also discovered. These marks were probably
made by pilgrims visiting the church after it had become a center of pilgrimage and worship of Jesus, researchers said.
During the excavation, researchers found niches, altars and other items indicating that the site was previously a sacred Roman complex open to the sky used for worship of the god Pan. A small pool was also found in the center of the compound.
According to scholars, the church, which used pagan architecture, was founded on the site when Christianity became the official religion in Israel in the fourth century CE. According to unusual slopes and depressions in the mosaic floor and in the walls of the compound, researchers estimate that the church was hit by an earthquake that struck the area, causing half of it to sink.
They also surmise that the church was later renovated in the seventh century by Christians and became a pilgrimage site, based on the large stone with the cross markings found at the excavations.
Said Erlich: “The temple to the god Pan and the church were discovered in a topographic environment that combines a cliff, a cave, springs and a terrace created in ancient times from the collapse of part of the cliff, which is where the temples were built. The god Pan was worshiped near the cave and the spring, hence the origin of the name of the ancient city Phenias which later changed to Banyas.
“King Herod built a temple in the area to the Emperor Augustus in the late first century BCE,” she said. “Throughout the Roman period, the city was an important center of worship for the gods Pan and Zeus. According to the New Testament, here in Banyas, Peter recognized Jesus as the Messiah, and Jesus gave him the keys of heaven.
“In the early Byzantine period, around the year 320 AD, the city of Banyas became an important Christian center with a bishop, and worship gradually changed to Christianity,” Erlich said. “The city declined after the seventh century AD, but continued to exist throughout history. It was densely populated during the Mamluk period in the 13th century.”
Dr. Yossi Bordovich, head of the heritage department at the
Nature and Parks Authority, said that “the excavations are now intended to complete the exposure of this temple in front of this cave in the reserve for the purposes of archaeological preservation and further tourist development for visitors to the Banyas Springs Reserve, managed by the Nature and Parks Authority.”
The authority said that the excavations now completed at the archaeological site are part of a variety of activities carried out by the Authority for the Preservation and Cultivation of Archaeological Finds in Nature Reserves and National Parks, and that upon completion of the excavations, they will work to make new finds accessible to visitors.