The Southern Church

The oldest church in Shivta and probably one of the earliest in the Negev. The church faces east and had only one apse, with a room on either side of it. In the 6th century, these rooms were turned into two small side apses and they had small niches (gaps) in which special boxes were kept containing relics of saints. These side apses were decorated with wall paintings, surviving fragments of which depict Moses and Elijah and the Transfiguration of Christ. Another interesting feature was that the church has no atrium (forecourt of a church). Outside the church we saw a large stone-built baptistery in the shape of cross for adult and a smaller, rock-cut font for infant baptism. An inscription on a lintel dates the building from the beginning of the 5th century AD, and one incorporated into the floor the year 640. The church has along hall bisected by 2 rows of columns.