| Shave Ziyyon |
| Church and Byzantine Settlement Remains |
| A preliminary program for the conservation of the site and tourism development |
| Orderer | Matte Asher Regional Council |
| Duration | August 2008 – September 2008 |
| Implemented by: |
Landscape Arch. Sivan Ornai
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The church, which is adjacent to the settlement of Shave Ziyyon, was first excavated in 1955 by the archaeologist Moshe Prausnitz, on behalf of what was then the Department of Antiquities. Remains of mosaics, walls and an artesian well were exposed there. The church was dated to the fourth century CE and it is one of the remains of the large Byzantine settlement, Nea Come, which was the northernmost settlement in the district of Akko and was situated on the kurkar ridge between Nahariya and Shave Ziyyon, and to the east.
From the time when the church was discovered until the 1990’s several conservation and reconstruction measures have been carried out in it. The last of these was a partial reconstruction of the church and the conservation of some of the mosaics. Despite the reconstruction work and the fact that the church is situated in a landscape that is endowed with unique and impressive qualities, it stands desolate. Vegetation covers its kurkar walls and floors and the mosaic carpets are disintegrating due to the climatic conditions there, the wind, the water and the sun
This program, which the Conservation Department of the Israel Antiquities Authority presents, is a preliminary proposal for preserving the church and opening it to the public. Furthermore, the plan also relates to nearby nature sites and hiking trails that will enhance one’s experience when visiting the place.
The church is located on the kurkar ridge at the western outskirts of the settlement of Shave Ziyyon. The nearby houses of the settlement are mostly low residential buildings and the closest of them border on the area of the church (The eastern end of the prayer hall was destroyed when the road that is adjacent to the church was being paved). The path that currently links the church with the settlement continues in the direction of the promenade along the shore of Shave Ziyyon. Nahal Bet HaEmeq flows north of the church, toward its outlet to the sea close by. The kurkar ridge continues north beyond the stream, toward Nahariya, where there is another antiquities site on it which has been identified as Khirbet Mallaha. To the west of the church is the coastal and marine reserve of Shave Ziyyon.
From its lofty location on the kurkar ridge the church looks out over a unique and impressive landscape: the seashore, the abrasion tables (sheets of bedrock along the seashore that were eroded by the waves), the marine reserve, the Nahal Bet HaEmeq estuary, the kurkar ridge and of course – the sea.
The church was built in the fourth century CE and two main construction phases were identified. It functioned until it was destroyed by fire at the end of the sixth or the beginning of the seventh century CE. The church and other excavations that were conducted in the vicinity verified the existence there of a Byzantine settlement by the name of Nea Come. It was first established as a fishing village during the Hellenistic period (the fifth and sixth centuries BCE) and it seems that it flourished during the Byzantine period as a result of its proximity to the Roman road that connected Akko to Antioch.
A similar quality is preserved in each of its construction phases whereby the church relates to its environment and the topographical conditions of the area. The entrance to it was from the west; those visiting it ascended from the low level of the beach to the other side of the kurkar ridge to the east, and progressed up a monumental staircase that led to a prayer space on the top of the ridge.
The excavations uncovered an artesian well that was used by the residents of the place and during the later building phase even supplied the baptisterium with water. The floors of the prayer space and the adjacent prayer hall were adorned with impressive mosaics decorated with polychrome geometric patterns. Over the years some of these mosaics were removed for purposes of conservation and others underwent conservation measures at the site. In the conservation work that the Israel Antiquities Authority performed there in the 1990’s some of the mosaics were returned to their original locations. In several places it is possible to discern three superposed layers of mosaics. The reason for this stems from changes in the main beliefs of the Christian faith which transpired over the course of the years. For example, the change in the mosaics that occurred in 427 CE was done subsequent to an order that banned the use of crosses on the floors of churches, so as to prevent desecrating the sacred symbol.
The deterioration process of the mosaic floor remains was accelerated from the moment the church was first uncovered in the 1950’s. The mosaics at the site are in an extremely degraded condition and the tesserae in them are constantly falling out. The harsh conditions of being so close to the sea and the exposure to the wind, sun and rain have resulted in the disappearance of entire pieces of the mosaic floors. The conservation and reconstruction work that was implemented in the 1990’s stabilized some of the building’s walls and its floors; however, the ongoing neglect has resulted in the area being overgrown with vegetation and this in turn has compromised the stability of the remains.
Conservation Intervention
1955 – Moshe Prausnitz excavated the site of the church on behalf of
the Department of Antiquities.
1970 – The Department of Antiquities carried out conservation measures in
order to preserve some of the mosaics.
1995 – The Israel Antiquities Authority removed three of the mosaics from the
site for the purpose of conservation.
1997 – The architect Dagan Mochly supervised conservation and
reconstruction work at the site.
1998 – The Israel Antiquities Authority returned one of the mosaics that had
undergone conservation to the site
Main Recommendations
Historic Values
The church constitutes an impressive remain of the Byzantine settlement Nea Come, which was a large settlement that existed between the fourth and seventh centuries CE in the northern part of the district of Akko. Understanding the church’s structure and the use that was made of it provides us with a glimpse at the life of the ancient residents of the region and allows us to become closely acquainted with the local history.
Architectural Values
The location of the structure and its planning illustrate the desire to glorify the presence of the building through architectural means. The intention of the original plan – arriving from a lower level in the west and ascending to the east via the staircase to the prayer space – was altered unrecognizably as a result of the change of the entrance to the south, directly to the level of the prayer hall and the destruction of its eastern end.
Nature and Landscape Values
The church is a landmark along the coastline; it can be seen from a distance at sea, and it offers a broad panorama toward the sea and the area that surrounds it.
The site incorporates a natural landscape and man-made remains and they create a breathtaking view of cultural landscape.
Main Recommendations for Conservation and Development
The preliminary proposal for the conservation of the church emphasizes the conservation of the existing mosaic remains and recommends that the mosaics which were taken from the site be returned to it.
Another basic step in the conservation of the site includes stabilizing parts of the walls and the floors and protecting them from overgrown vegetation.
In order to reconstruct the experience of ascending to the prayer space, it is recommended that the main entrance to the site be relocated back to its original direction in the west.
The plan also recommends that explanatory signage be posted and shaded rest areas be incorporated where the public can gather and it can become a tourism site.
In addition to the conservation of the church and its development, the plan proposes integrating it with other sites of interest in the vicinity such as the coastal and marine reserve of Shave Ziyyon, connecting it to a footpath and bicycle route between Shave Ziyyon and Nahariya, and to the antiquities and nature sites further up Nahal Bet HaEmeq.
Acknowledgements
I wish to thank Jacques Nagar and Nicky Davidov (mosaic conservation plans) and the following architects for their professional guidance and direction: Ram Shoef, Ya’ara Shaltiel and Amir Freundlich.
References
Prausnitz, M.W. 1967. Excavations at Shavei Zion, The Early Christian Church. Rome.
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Sivan Ornai, January 2009
To view the figures, click on the figure caption
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