The late antique Christian church found along Egypt’s pilgrimage route
According to a new study published in the Journal Ancient.
Archaeologists from the University of Warsaw School of Archaeology and the Center for Mediterranean Archaeology have been working at Fillocent from 2021 to 2024, a popular pilgrimage path leading to the popular pilgrimage path from 2021 to 2024.
Not far from the city square is an L-shaped church measuring 32 feet x 89 feet.
The foundation is constructed with Afang slab limestone blocks, while the walls are made of limestone filled with lime mortar bonded clothes and plastered with ashes. On the floor, there is a stone pavement with parts inlaid with debris patterns. The corners are supported externally by semicircular supporters. The earlier stages of the building are still below.
The floor plan includes many accessories, including baptism. Additional rooms were added and changed in later building phases. While the changes indicate that adaptation is required over time, the quality of masonry and decorative flooring indicates the importance of the site along the pilgrimage route.
Smaller settlements like this will provide a breathing breath for tired travelers and provide dedicated space for prayer, baptism, accommodation and gatherings.
Although further research is needed to understand some of the details related to the overall function of the building, and compared with other nearby sites, the building offers a unique opportunity to learn about Christian ritual life in provincial Egypt under the rule of the Roman Emperor Rosman Justinian I (527-65 CE). It also sheds light on late antique architecture practices.
