By Emily Jones, Julie Stahl - October 24, 2019
JERUSALEM, Israel – Israeli archaeologists have uncovered a significant 1,500-year-old church near Israel's Ramat Beit Shemesh neighborhood.
This Byzantine-era church was erected during the time of Emperor Justinian in 543 AD. A chapel was later added during the reign of Emperor Tiberius II Constantine. The inscription found at the excavation site says the church was completed with his financial support.
"Numerous written sources attest to imperial funding for churches in Israel, however, little is known from archaeological evidence such as dedicatory inscriptions like the one found in Beit Shemesh," said Benjamin Storchan, director of the excavation on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority. "Imperial involvement in the building's expansion is also evoked by the image of a large eagle with outspread wings – the symbol of the Byzantine Empire – which appears in one of the mosaics."
The three-year excavation revealed a complex that was once adorned with detailed mosaics, towering pillars, and colorful frescoes.
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