Image Details

PHOTO: DROR MAAYAN / DRAWINGS: EMMA MAAYAN-FANAR

THE FACE OF JESUS. Only recently, traces of faint paint preserved in the vault of the North Church baptistery were identified as belonging to the figure of Jesus. The youthful, shaven face with short, curly hair (outlined in detail here) is not how we are used to seeing Jesus, but it was common in Byzantine iconography prior to the Islamic conquest in the seventh century. Given the architectural setting above the baptismal font, the remains of another haloed male figure to the left might belong to John the Baptist. The composition would then represent the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River, highlighting the links between architecture, liturgy, and art within the space of early Christian worship.