Church dating back 1,500 years discovered near Jerusalem

As luck would have it, during works to widen a highway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, a 1,500-year-old church from the Byzantine era was unexpectedly discovered, said the Israel Antiquities Authority Wednesday.

Located at the entrance to Abu Gosh, an Arab village 13 km west of Jerusalem, the church dimensions are about 16 meters in length including a side chapel 6.5 meters long and 3.5 meters wide along with a white mosaic floor.

A baptismal font in the form of a four-leaved clover, symbolizing the cross, exists in the chapel's northeast corner, according to the Antiquities Authority.

Fragments of red-colored plaster found in the rubble strewn throughout the building indicate that the church walls were decorated with frescoes.

Archaeologists believe the site witnessed intense activity, as inferred from the plethora of findings which include oil lamps, coins, special glass vessels, marble fragments, and mother-of-pearl shells.

The ancient church was built inside a road station by a remote road leading to Jerusalem and the coastal plain. Nowadays, Highway 1, connecting Jerusalem and Israel's financial capital Tel Aviv, stands by the site.

Annette Nagar, excavation director, said in a statement that other settlements and road stations have been previously discovered along the ancient road which served those traveling that route in ancient times.

"Included in the services provided along the route were churches, such as the one recently discovered at the entrance to Abu Gosh. Use of this road station was discontinued at the end of the Byzantine period, whereas the road beside which it was built was renewed and is functional until today," said Nagar.

Pablo Betzer, the Israel Antiquities Authority's district archaeologist for Judah, added that "a decision has been taken together with the National Roads Company to shelter the site to preserve it for future generations." Endit