Jerash Cathedral (Cathedral of St. Mary) in Jerash, Jordan, now in ruins, was built on the site of a former Roman temple.

Construction

Jerash Cathedral was raised on the ruin of the Roman temple to

Dionysus In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Romans ...

, which itself was built on the site of a temple to Dushara, the Nabataean god of the royal house. The remains of the Roman temple were removed to the level of the podium shortly before the start of construction of the new building of the

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

, and its architectural elements, such as columns, were reused as material for the masonry of the church. Named Cathedral of St. Mary, the ruins are shown in the black and white images which show the entrance to the cathedral compound and the main avenue and the forum.

Other churches in Jerash

While Jerash (or Gerasa) is best known for its extensive number of churches, many are of impressive size. Most date from the 5th and 6th centuries and are

basilican In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name t ...

in plan.

References

{{coord missing, Jordan Cathedrals in Jordan