The very first site we visited in Jordan was the Church of Saint George in Madaba. Our bus parked about a 10 minute walk away from the church, which provided for us a short tour on foot of the town. Our guide, James, was very knowledgeable about the history of the map, it's significance and the church in that time.
The following information can be found at Madaba, Jordan - Wikipedia.
The Madaba Map (also known as the Madaba Mosaic Map) is part of a floor mosaic in the early Byzantine church of Saint George at Madaba, Jordan. The Madaba Map is a map of the Middle East. Part of it contains the oldest surviving original cartographic depiction of the Holy Land and especially Jerusalem. It dates to the 6th century AD.
The Madaba Mosaic Map depicts Jerusalem with the Nea Church, which was dedicated on the 20th of November, AD 542. Buildings erected in Jerusalem after 570 are absent from the depiction, thus limiting the date range of its creation to the period between 542 and 570. In 746, Madaba was largely destroyed by an earthquake and subsequently abandoned. The mosaic was rediscovered in 1884, during the construction of a new Greek Orthodox church on the site of its ancient predecessor.
The largest and most detailed element of the topographic depiction is Jerusalem, at the centre of the map. The mosaic clearly shows a number of significant structures in the Old City of Jerusalem: the Damascus Gate, the Lions' Gate, the Golden Gate, the Zion Gate, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the New Church of the Theotokos, the Tower of David and the Cardo Maximus. The recognizable depiction of the urban topography makes the mosaic a key source on Byzantine Jerusalem.
The inside of the church was filled wall to wall with mosaics. Enjoy the following pictures!
In Christ,
Samuel
Smashing Pillars...raising sons
Please prayerfully consider supporting our work. Smashing Pillars International is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Thank you in advance. Donations can be made online at:
www.smashingpillarsinternational.org
If you would like to mail in a donation, please mail to:
Smashing Pillars International
14403 Walters Rd., #681601
Houston, Texas 77014
