Byzantine Basilica, Prayer Hall

Abstract

~According to Christian tradition at Kursi Jesus healed a madman, driving his madness into a herd of swine. At Kursi, located half a kilometer east from the northeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee at the foothills of the Golan Heights, ruins of a 5th-6th Byzantine basilica and monastery were discovered. These structures were established most likely before 491 AD, in the mid-5th century AD. The Baptistery was added in late-6th century AD. In 614 AD, during the Persian invasion, the site was severely damaged. It was later restored, only to be damaged by fire or an earthquake in the 8th century AD, after which it was almost completely demolished. In the 9th century AD, the ruins were used for residence and storage by local Arabs, and then completely abandoned. The Basilica was symmetrical, with two rows of six columns each, dividing the hall into a nave and side aisles. The stone columns and the marble Corinthian capitals were adorned with carved crosses. A single main apse was located in the east, preceded by the main altar. The mosaic floors were laid probably in Abbot Stephanos' time, during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Mauricius, circa 585-586 AD