BYZANTINE CHURCH OF PETRA

How to get there. Overlooking the Main Trail. Cross the bridge over the wadi from the Cardo maximus and follow the path up the hill. The site of the Byzantine church is recognizable by the metal frame that covers it.

Visit. This church belongs to a group of three Byzantine churches discovered in the 1990s by the American archaeologist Kenneth W. Russell. Dated to the^5th century, it was modified at the beginning of the 6th century. This vast basilica of 26 x 15 m has a rectangular plan. The vault was supported by two rows of columns forming a triple nave. The church is preceded by an atrium, a courtyard lined with columns of which only the bases and the paved floor remain. Nearby is the cruciform baptistery dating from the^5th century. It was entered through one of the three entrances pierced in the façade. The central nave was covered with marble slabs drawing geometric patterns, while the secondary naves were covered with mosaics. The motifs inscribed in medallions represent objects of everyday life, exotic animals or taken from the imagination. One can also admire figurative representations of the four seasons, the ocean, the earth and wisdom.

Be sure to take a look at the remains of the blue chapel, which is located just above the Byzantine church. Only its four columns of blue granite imported from Egypt remain, topped with Nabatean marble capitals.