The most beautiful religious buildings Jérash

The temple of Artemis stands in front of you, once you have climbed the steps of the propylaeum. The Romans built it around 150, in homage to Artemis, daughter of Zeus, goddess of hunting and fertility and protective goddess of Gerasa. Much larger than the one dedicated to Zeus, the temple maintained the rivalry between the faithful. It was the center of the social and spiritual life of the city and stood at the center of a vast sacred enclosure of 3.4 hectares. Built on a platform, its beautiful columns with Corinthian capitals rise towards the sky. They present an interest which delights the tourists: they move with the wind or when one shakes them. Only 11 of the 12 columns originally erected remain. They are signed by the artist (or contractor in charge), Hygeinos. But the Temple of Artemis is unfinished, for a total of 32 columns were planned to frame the cella, the main chamber. The floor of the inner room was covered with marble slabs. The back of the temple, the adytum, was accessible only to priests. Only they could approach the thalamos, the niche that probably housed a statue of the goddess, and enter the two chambers that flanked the niche. The sacrificial altar was located at the foot of the stairs leading to the platform, some twenty meters upstream from the temple. From the 4th century onwards, pagan cults were forbidden by imperial edict and the temple of Artemis was stripped of its furnishings.

Overlooking the forum, and right next to the southern amphitheater, is this sanctuary dedicated to the Greek god of gods, Zeus. It is built on top of an older temple and archaeological excavations have revealed that the site was already a place of worship in the Bronze Age (3300 to 1200 BC). The temple of Zeus is built on two terraces, the lower of which is heavily damaged. Not much remains of its vaulted corridor which went around the temenos, a sacred court. This closed corridor was decorated on its outside with facades of Ionic columns supporting a Doric frieze. The lower terrace dates back to 27 BC as attested by an inscription signing the work attributed to "Diodors, son of Zebedas, architect of Gerasa". In 162, the Romans decided to build a large temple to replace the old one, which was badly damaged. It was erected on a terrace overhanging the temenos, the two being connected by a monumental staircase. Corinthian columns 15 meters high framed the cella, the main chamber of the sanctuary. With the advent of Christianity, the temple was transformed into a Byzantine monastery, before being completely abandoned after the earthquake of 749. In 1982, the Institut Français du Proche-Orient (IFPO) undertook the restoration of the building in close collaboration with the Jordanian Department of Antiquities. Between 2001 and 2006, the cella, the peristyle and the temenos were restored. The work restores some of the temple's majesty.

The cathedral is located on the edge of the Cardo maximus, on the left, just before the Nymphaeum. It is a Byzantine church that its proud inhabitants called the "cathedral". It was erected on the site of a Greco-Roman temple dedicated to the demigod of wine, vine and excess, Dionysus, which was itself located on the site of a Nabataean temple dedicated to the god Dushara. It was customary to replace existing places of worship with new ones that reflected the new prevailing beliefs. Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire from the 4th century onwards and the cathedral dates from the^5th or 6th century, as do most of the churches on the site. There is no evidence, however, that this church was any more massive than the others to bear this title. The esplanade separating the church of St Theodore and the cathedral was probably the site of a pagan festival where wine flowed freely, mixing the Greco-Roman tradition of honouring Dionysus and the Christian religion, in commemoration of the wedding in Cana where Jesus changed water into wine.

Completely ruined today, it was characterized by a rather elaborate ornamentation. Once past the portal with its Corinthian pediment, which is still in place, the rest of the building can be reached by a monumental staircase. The walls are still covered in places with Christian inscriptions honouring, among others, the archangels Gabriel (who also brought the Koran to Muhammad) and Michael. At the top of the stairs is a niche probably dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

Located in the extension of the cathedral, the church of Saint Theodore was built by the Byzantines who reused older building stones. The main entrance was located on the west side and an inscription can still be deciphered indicating that the church was built "in 496 under the episcopate of Aeneas in honor of the victorious Theodore, immortal martyr". The portal opens onto a paved courtyard lined with columns, with a fountain in the center. It is likely that this courtyard served as the atrium of the cathedral.

A large number of churches were built by the Byzantines. Three quarters of them have still not been uncovered and excavated. Three of these churches are grouped around an atrium in the same area: the Church of St John the Baptist, the Church of Saints Como and Damian, and the Church of St George. They were all built between 529 and 533. They are located in the extension of the church of St. Theodore, west of the cathedral and before the temple of Artemis.

Church of Saints-Come-and-Damien. It is of remarkable interest because of its size and its particularly well preserved mosaics on the floor. These represent animals and human figures, including those probably of Theodore and his wife Giorgia, the guardians of the church. The base of the pillars separating the nave from the aisles is still clearly visible, as well as some columns. The baptistery was added in the 6th century and was shared with the adjacent church.

Church of St. John the Baptist. This is the largest and most recent of the three churches. It is sandwiched between the other two. It retains part of its façade (which faces the colonnade) and its main entrance. Inside, the nave was delimited by four high columns. One can still admire fragments of coloured mosaics with geometrical patterns.

Church of Saint George. Of the three, it is the one that presents the least interest, because it is in very bad condition, and contains no mosaics. It is probably the oldest of the three churches.

The church of Marianos was built by the bishop of the same name in 570. It is the only church to be found to the south of the ancient city, while this part of the city remained undeveloped. It is also the first one that you will meet once you pass the Arch of Hadrian. Its small size testifies to the decline of the city at that time. The church was probably built by "borrowing" stones from the hippodrome which is just opposite. It still has a very beautiful mosaic floor, although very simple, which again seems to indicate limited means.