The basilica I
Basilica Ι was unearthed in the centre of the early
Christian
city, on the ruins of a Late Roman bathhouse. It is a three nave basilica with an apse to the
east, and a narthex , exonarthex and atrium to the west.
The floors of the side aisles and atrium were decorated with colourful
mosaics , while that in the nave and narthex was covered with marble slabs.
Outside the main body of the church,
archaeological excavations brought to light more religious buildings added to
the south and north of the narthex, exonarthex and atrium.
To the north of the basilica is a mid-6th century vaulted chapel
with a mosaic floor, probably the Diaconicon , leading to another
rectangular chamber to the west, probably the mitatorium.
The church is thought to have been built in the early 6th century, with further
interventions and additions in later years. At a later phase, when it was long abandoned
and falling in, a room was built in the middle of the north aisle to
house a family that settled in the ruins.
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