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At least 15 Byzantine churches have been found in Jerash, and more are thought to remain buried. Three of
the finest churches are grouped together round a shared
atrium. At the north, the Church of St. Cosmos and St.
Damian, twin brother doctors who were martyred in the
4th century, has the most splendid floor mosaics to be
seen in Jerash. An inscription dates the mosaic to
553AD, and the images include the churchwarden Theodore
with his wife Georgia, praying with widespread arms.
In the center, the church of St. John the Baptist dates
from 531AD. Its mosaic floor, now damaged, included
images of the four seasons, plants and animals, and the
cities of Alexandria and Memphis in Egypt.
The church of St. George, at the south, was built in
530AD, and continued to be used after the earthquake of
749AD. Its mosaics were therefore destroyed when the 8th
century Christian iconoclastic movement banned the
representation of humans and animals. |
