Israel & Jordan 2023: Madaba City

After lunch, Hussein, the youthful tour director, sprung a surprise for us. He said he negotiated a visit to this privately-owned (or managed) church nearby. This was not part of the original itinerary, but Hussein said the mosaic is incredible and definitely worth seeing. The church was the Church of SS Lot and Procopios. The family that now takes care of this place welcomed us, but left us all alone to view it. Before the discovery of this incredible mosaic covering t he lenght of the floor, it was used as a house. There was a blackened spot on the mosaic, which apparently was the spot where they used to cook their food.

What I found online about this church:

The church is dedicated to early Christian martyrs, the patriarch Lot, and Procopios from Caesarea. Dated to A.D. 557, during the time of Bishop John of Madaba, it has the plan of a basilica with a central nave and two aisles, separated from the nave by three pillars.

The floor was paved with mosaics almost in its entirety, with the central carpet divided into two areas framed by ornamental borders. The Eastern field shows a dynamic vine scroll composition with pastoral, hunting, and wine making scenes. The Western panel is square, with four trees diagonally centered, and pairs of animals between them. Nilotic scenes and animals can be found in the inter-columnar spaces positioned to be observed from the nave.

To reach it, we had to go up the hill.

This is the extent of the church, but the mosaic is well-preserved considering all it had been through.

I was appreciative of this detour. I like little surprises like this. The next stop was what I call the mandatory shopping stop, that we all tolerated, some even welcomed. Heck, this time around I welcomed it, because there was a demo as well as lecture (for lack of better word) on the importance of mosaic-making and the significance of Madaba as the Mosaic City. I personally love mosaics and how time-consuming the process in making it is. The artistry, the craftsmanship, the dedication and the love for the art were all evident in their superior products.

We first entered the workshop area where we watched artisans in action and where we first got a lecture on the history, importance, and the types of products they produce here.

Afterwards we were all ushered into their spacious showroom, where they have mosaics in all shapes and sizes. They even have jewelry (which were not mosaic, pity). While I love this type of art, I held onto to my greenbacks, which were not plentiful, given that the trip is on its last days.

Our hostess continued to give a talk about the kind of items they produce.