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Above an open patch of ground, are the ruins of Tell
Madaba. An-Nuzha st then leads south and then southwest,
taking you to the junction of the King's
Highway, where the church of the Apostles stands. In the
nave of the church is a large mosaic, bordered on three
sides with an acanthus leaf pattern populated by birds
and plants. In the northeastern corner of the nave is
the particularly beautiful personification of a season
in the form of a human face. The birds and plants in the
acanthus leaf border are arranged in a geometrical
pattern that resembles a rug. A medallion with a
diameter of 2.2 meters showing the upper body of a woman
whom waves with fish and other marine animals surround
constitutes the centre of the mosaic. The woman holds a
helm in her left hand. The inscription above the woman
identifies her as Thalassa, the personification of the
sea, and another inscription around the edge of the
medallion gives the names of the donators and the
mosaicist.
The mosaic decoration in the two side aisles is
comparably plain and consists exclusively of geometric
patterns. To the north two chapels adjoin the left side
aisle, which are also decorated with mosaic floors. The
mosaic in one chapel shows a deer, two sheep and a
gazelle standing between fruit trees. The second chapel
contains two mosaics, one decorated with animals and
plants arranged in a geometric pattern, the other one
shows various animals between four trees and also an
inscription, which reveals the date and dedication of
the church to the holy apostles. |
