Idea #578 – Having a look at the most beautiful mosaics of the Byzantine world in Madaba
Especially celebrates for its remarkable Byzantine mosaics and Ommeyyades, Madaba is the holy place where is one of the antique the most remarkable mosaics, representing the Map of Jerusalem and the Holy Land. With two millions of tesselles stone local, the mosaic of the VIth century depicts hills and valleys, villages and cities up to the Delta of the Nile. It is known to be the oldest cartographic representation which reached us of the Holy Land, and in particular Jerusalem, and the Decapole.
The mosaic of Madaba recovers the ground of Saint George’s orthodox Greek Church, situated in the northwest of the city center. The Church was built in 1896, on the ruins of an older Byzantine church, of the VIth century. The mosaic measured originally 15 meters on 6 meters, and only a quarter was able to be protected. Other masterpieces in mosaic were listed in the Church of the Virgin and the Apostles. In the Archaeological Museum, numerous mosaics are exposed, representing a profusion of flowers and plants, birds and fishes, animals and exotic animals, as well as scenes of the mythology and the daily scenes of hunting, peach and agriculture. Hundreds of the other mosaics from the Vth to the VIIth centuries are still sheltered in churches and houses of Madaba. Near the Church of the Virgin is the Institute for the Arts of Mosaics and the Restoration of Madaba, which intervenes under the Ministry of the Tourism. It is the only project of this type in the Middle East, the Institute forms craftsmen in the art of the manufacturing, the repair and the restoration of mosaics.
Some Pictures
Where is it ?
Madaba, Jordanie