The ancient practice of reuse. From the Roman viridarium to the medieval church in the old Ashkelon (Israel)

Cecilia Luschi, Marta Zerbini, Alessandra Vezzi, Novella Lecci

doi:10.37190/arc260201

Abstract

This study focuses on the architectural and functional analysis of the structure known as Santa Maria in Viridis, located at the highest point of the ancient city of Ascalona (Ashkelon, Israel), directly against the city walls and near the medieval Main Gate (Jerusalem Gate). Traditionally interpreted as a Byzantine church with a baptistery and subjected to modifications up to the medieval period, the building presents several architectural inconsistencies related to liturgical use.

The AskGate Mission (Italian Archaeological Mission – MAECI) conducted research and in-depth investigations employing an integrated, multiscalar methodology to address the compositional issues that made the definition of the church space anomalous.

The architectural and compositional investigations revealed that the church was built over a pre-existing Roman viridarium featuring a complex water system and a nymphaeum, organised on at least two terraced levels resting upon a podium. The viridarium included an exedra equipped with a marble-lined basin that collected water and channelled it through a conduit into a basin at the centre of the courtyard.

What emerges from the architectural analysis and the examination of the decorative elements, such as the frescoes, is the substantial medieval phase during which the structure was reshaped as a church. This phase may correspond to the transformation of the site from a space defined by a pagan architectural language, characterised by an exedra, into one expressing a Christian language, marked by the presence of an apse.

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Cecilia Luschi*, Marta Zerbini**, Alessandra Vezzi***,

Novella Lecci****

The ancient practice of reuse.

From the Roman viridarium

to the medieval church in the old Ashkelon (Israel)

DOI: 10.37190/arc260201

Published in open access. CC BY-NC license.

Abstract

This study focuses on the architectural and functional analysis of the structure known as Santa Maria in Viridis, located at the highest point of

the ancient city of Ascalona (Ashkelon, Israel), directly against the city walls and near the medieval Main Gate (Jerusalem Gate). Traditionally inter-

preted as a Byzantine church with a baptistery and subjected to modications up to the medieval period, the building presents several architectural

inconsistencies related to liturgical use.

The AskGate Mission (Italian Archaeological Mission – MAECI) conducted research and in-depth investigations employing an integrated, mul-

tiscalar methodology to address the compositional issues that made the denition of the church space anomalous.

The architectural and compositional investigations revealed that the church was built over a pre-existing Roman viridarium featuring a complex

water system and a nymphaeum, organised on at least two terraced levels resting upon a podium. The viridarium included an exedra equipped with

a marble-lined basin that collected water and channelled it through a conduit into a basin at the centre of the courtyard.

What emerges from the architectural analysis and the examination of the decorative elements, such as the frescoes, is the substantial medieval

phase during which the structure was reshaped as a church. This phase may correspond to the transformation of the site from a space dened by

a pagan architectural language, characterised by an exedra, into one expressing a Christian language, marked by the presence of an apse.

Key words: Ashkelon, viridarium, mystagogy, historical architecture, cultural heritage

Introduction

The concept of architectural reuse became a widely

prac

ticed approach during the transition from a pagan to

a Christian architectural language, particularly between the

and 7

centuries. The issue becomes especially delicate

when dealing with cult buildings, which must meet spe-

cic requirements related to the rituals performed within

them. The eorts made to convert pagan structures into the

Christian language invite us to reect on the principles that

guided these transformations.

In the pagan world, architecture had for centuries repre-

sented the divine powers that governed human life. The gods

were considered unreachable beings, inhabiting a world sep-

arate from that of humans, upon whom human existence

depended. Consequently, within a hierarchical order, they

dwelled in elevated places, and their distant, inaccessible na-

ture was expressed architecturally: altars raised on mounds,

temples standing on high crepidoma, dark cellae such as in

the oikoi, or colonnaded enclosures surrounding sacred pre-

cincts.

The otherness of the divine in relation to the human con-

dition was conveyed through mechanisms of disproportion,

ORCID: 0000-0002-7777-5360.

Department of Architecture.

DIDA, University of Florence, Italy, e-mail: cecilia.luschi@uni.it

** ORCID:

0000-0003-4936-6735. Department of Architecture.

DIDA, University of Florence, Italy.

***

ORCID:

0000-0001-9334-3982. Department of Architecture.

DIDA, University of Florence, Italy.

****

ORCID:

0000-0002-4614-788X. Department of Architectu-

re. DIDA, University of Florence, Italy.

4 Cecilia Luschi, Marta Zerbini, Alessandra Vezzi, Novella Lecci

verticality, and darkness, features common to celebratory

architectures across all major ancient civilizations, though

articulated dierently according to local technologies and

decorative traditions. Decoration, always inspired by nat-

ural forms, could be rendered guratively or through geo-

metric patterns, bestowing dignity upon the architectural

apparatus. If the ancient world relied for centuries on this

idea of sacred architecture as an inaccessible place, it fol-

lows that the concept of architectural reuse was not com-

monly practiced. Materials (spolia) from older buildings

were reused to construct new ones according to renewed

principles. Structures were rebuilt to give them a new con-

guration: for example, a temple transformed into an oikos

might become a distyle or tetrastyle structure, introducing

signicant variation. More often, however, materials were

salvaged to enlarge an existing complex, an operation that

typically required the demolition of the earlier temple. Im-

portantly, architectural reuse did not aect the architectural

language itself, which remained rmly xed over time. The

symbolic lexicon of architecture thus remained unchanged

for centuries, reiterating the same formal patterns.

Considering that the ancient world, up to the Roman pe-

riod, developed the celebratory architectural tradition using

recurring compositional devices, we can turn our attention

to the true emergence of architectural reuse within cultic

contexts, and to how the nature of religious architecture

changed in ways that made unexpected forms of reuse possi-

ble. The Christian architectural language transformed what

we today might call the immaterial dimension, and more

precisely, the mystagogical dimension, of cult buildings,

making architecture a support for the liturgy and a means of

emphasizing its ritual dynamics.

Although explaining the full process behind this transfor-

mation of meaning is complex, the overall trajectory, from

the earliest decades of Christianity through the 7

cen tu ry,

can be summarized succinctly. Architecture underwent a re-

semanticization, acquiring a new ontological reality with-

out requiring changes to the existing structure. During early

Christianity, therefore, sacred monuments were not convert-

ed; instead, buildings such as houses, domus, or imperial pa-

laces were reinterpreted. In the Roman context, the domus,

originally the household dwelling, took on the meaning of

domus Dei, the “house of God”, becoming a gathering place

for the religious community.

A clear example of the resemanticization of architectur-

al space is the viridarium of a villa (Canopus–Serapeion,

Hadrian’s Villa, Rome, Italy): a place designed for host-

ing guests, characterized by water as a dominant element

and by an exedra symbolizing hospitality. Conceptually,

the exedra of the Roman villa gained a new meaning when

transformed into the apse of a church, while the garden in

front of it came to represent the paradisiacal realm of the

Heavenly Jerusalem.

To better illustrate the most signicant steps of this ex-

perimental architectural process, we present the study of

the ancient site of Ascalona, modern Ashkelon, in Israel.

Here, Roman remains emerging from the ancient sands of

the eastern Mediterranean coast enable us to describe the

functional transformation of a large structure known also

as the church of Santa Maria in Viridis.

AskGate Mission: the research

The Italian International Archaeological Mission, known

as AskGate and recognized by the Italian Ministry of For-

eign Aairs (MAECI), has been conducting research since

2020 on the case study of the so-called church of Santa

Maria in Viridis (Luschi 2021; Luschi et al. 2023). The

research team is composed of the mission director (Prof.

Cecilia Maria Roberta Luschi), architects

, archaeologists

physicists specialized in microarchaeology

, and geolo-

gists

, who together have made it possible to interpret this

enigmatic architecture within the ancient city of Ascalona

or Scalona, located south of modern Ashkelon, which re-

tains the historical name (Ricci, Lecci 2024).

Ascalona was one of the Philistine biblical cities that, to-

gether with Gaza, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath, formed a pen-

tapolis independent of any hegemonic control. Egyptians,

Syrians, Canaanites, Phoenicians, and the so-called Sea

Peoples all left their traces in the site of Ascalona. The city

occupied a strategic geographical position along a route

parallel to the Mediterranean coast connecting Damascus

and Alexandria (Fig. 1). Archival documents are broadly

divided into two main strands: Arabic and Latin sources.

These form the basis for reconstructing the city’s long his-

tory. Ascalona was destroyed in 1270 and largely faded into

oblivion. It remained obscure until the rise of travel and pil-

grimage in the 18

and 19

centuries, followed by formal

archaeological excavations in the 20

century

Today, the ancient city of Ascalona is preserved as an

Archaeological Park and National Nature Reserve (Isra-

el Nature and Parks Authority), its boundaries following

the course of the reconstructed city walls. The walls form

a semicircular layout, with the maximum chord coinciding

with the seafront, making the site analogous to Caesarea

Maritima (Luschi, Stefanini and Vezzi 2021). Recognizing

the historical depth of occupation, the morphology of As-

calona becomes clearly dened from the Roman-Byzantine

period onward.

Ottoman period, including signicant Roman elements,

among which the most famous and studied is the colonnad-

ed structure known as the Basilica, located between the tell

and the Eastern Gate (Bar-Nathan, Ganor 2021; Boehm,

Master and Le Blanc 2016) (Fig. 2).

Archaeological studies have identied the rst Bronze

Age settlement on the two tells, attributing the construction

of the massive earthen ramparts to this same period. These

ramparts were subsequently reused as the foundation for the

city’s fortications in later centuries. The walls currently vis-

ible are instead attributed to Byzantine construction phases,

with further modications during the medieval period. Along

the circuit of these walls, still partially preserved today (Lec-

Researchers from the University of Florence, members of the Ask-

Gate project team (https://www.dida.uni.it/vp-784-askgate.html).

Professor Rafael Y. Lewis, archaeologist, Department of Land of

Israel Studies and Archaeology, Bar Ilan University.

Professor Elisabetta Boaretto, Scientic Archaeology Unit, Weiz -

mann Institute of Science.

Dr. Emma Cantisani, CNR Florence.

For a concise historical overview of the site, reference may be

made to Stager and Schloen (2008) and Phythian-Adams (1921).

The ancient practice of reuse. From the Roman viridarium to the medieval church in the old Ashkelon (Israel) 5

Fig. 1. The ancient city of Ascalona, Ascalon, or Scalona (now Ashkelon)

has been located on the route connecting Damascus and Alexandria

since ancient times (elaborated by @AskGate)

Il. 1. Starożytne miasto Ascalona, Ascalon lub Scalona (obecnie Aszkelon)

od czasów starożytnych znajdowało się na szlaku łączącym Damaszek

z Aleksandrią (oprac. @AskGate)

ci, Aiello and Luschi 2023), just south of the Eastern Gate,

known in the medieval period as the Main Gate or Jerusalem

Gate

, the case study of the church of Santa Maria in Viri-

dis has been identied. The structure is organized on three

terraces: the rst, forming the highest part of the system, is

characterized by massive double walls and the only semicir-

cular tower projecting from the line of the walls; the second,

the middle terrace, consists of a large structure whose spatial

conguration has been interpreted by scholars as a church;

the third and lowest terrace is composed of traces of walls

indicating a further articulation of the building (Fig. 3).

The rst construction phase identied in previous studies

was a Byzantine church, but the placement and congura-

tion of the baptismal font deviate from the established con-

ventions of the Christian ritual. The baptismal font, whether

of spring or still water, cannot be positioned in front of the

celebration altar, as baptism is the initiation rite of Christi-

anity and is to be performed outside the church.

Starting from this inconsistency, the research conduct-

ed by AskGate, which adopts a multiscalar and interdisci-

plinary approach, has pursued investigations from multiple

specialist perspectives aimed at interpreting and deeply un-

derstanding the architecture and its evolution. To this end,

during eld missions, in addition to excavation activities,

detailed architectural and integrated surveys were con-

ducted. These enabled the creation of a three-dimensional

digital model of the site, metrically accurate and reliable,

allowing both the production of orthogonal graphic repre-

sentations (plans, sections, elevations) and an in-depth geo-

metric analysis of the architectural space.

This article presents some results from the 2022–2023

excavation activities of the AskGate project. An integrat-

ed, multi-scale survey methodology combining topographic

mea surements with drone-based and ground-based photo-

grammetric techniques was employed to document these ac -

tivities. The topographic survey was designed and imple-

mented using a closed, nearly equilateral triangular tra-

verse. Control and verication points were recorded from

the main stations and used to process and manage the

photogrammetric surveys. This established a well-work-

ing methodology across various archaeological campaigns

(Luschi et al. 2023). In addition to the topographic survey,

photogrammetric projects were carried out daily to obtain

3D models of the individual excavation areas. This made

the various daily excavation activities accessible and de-

veloped a methodology for the virtual reversibility of the

excavation (Luschi, Lecci 2023). The drone photogram-

metry project created a 3D model of the site, from which

two-dimensional images (orthophotos) were extracted to

support the site plans, sections and elevations required for

the description of the excavation and architectural structure.

Operational decisions made during the dierent stages of

the survey resulted in the creation of a 3D model of the site

and all its excavation areas, ensuring accurate and reliable

documentation (Luschi et al. 2025b).

Guglielmo of Tyre, a 12

-century chronicler, describes Ascalona

as a fortied city with four gates: the Jaa Gate to the north, the Gaza

Gate to the south, the Maris Gate to the west, and the Great Gate or Jeru-

salem Gate to the east (Zaganelli 2012, 982–988).

The viridarium and the church

As mentioned above, the church structure, located south

of the Jerusalem Gate, has been described in previous exca-

vation reports as a “Byzantine church with a baptistery”

(Tza feris, Stager 2008; Homan 2019, 33–38), modied se -

veral times up to the medieval period. This period also corre-

sponds to the now-lost fresco cycle, depicting four gu res

that scholars have identied

, from right to left, as St. John

Chry so stom, Basil the Great, and Gregory the Theo logian,

while the last gure has been proposed as either St. Atha na-

sius or St. Cyril (Peers 2009).

Examining the frescoes, which show similarities in sub-

ject matter and style, Peers considers it plausible to date

their execution to the Crusader renewal phase of the church,

between 1153 and 1187. It is notable that the characteristics

of the saints’ garments and the presence of a cartouche with

Greek inscriptions nd parallels in the depiction of St. John

Chrysostom

in the medieval Cattolica of Stilo in Calabria

Fresco of the apse and a detail still visible at the time of the Leon

Levy mission. Today it has completely disappeared.

Fresco inside the Cattolica of Stilo in Calabria, dated 1190. It

depicts St. John Chrysostom, with garments and a cartouche similar to

those found at Santa Maria in Viridis.

6 Cecilia Luschi, Marta Zerbini, Alessandra Vezzi, Novella Lecci

which is reproduced with the same iconography. Based on

this evidence, the possible dating of the frescoes can be

extended to the 11

and 12

centuries, revealing in this

phase a strong inuence of the Byzantine culture.

Santa Maria in Viridis is also dened as a church with

a baptistery due to the presence of a water system located

on the central plateau (second terrace), which is particularly

complex. The water ow, whose source remains unknown,

started from the apse, where a basin clad with white mar-

ble slabs was placed. From there, through a small channel,

it reached a possibly fountain-like basin, before entering

a cistern and nally passing through a lead pipe and a small

cistern (Figs. 4, 5).

Cleaning, excavation and survey work carried out in this

section of the Santa Maria in Viridis architectural complex

(identied as “Area 1”) has enabled the water system to be

reconstructed and interpreted as a whole, and a functional

interpretation proposed. The discovered water system leads

to the identication of the surrounding area as a viridarium:

a classic ornamental garden used in ancient Rome and typ-

ically located within the courtyard of a villa (Luschi et al.

2025a).

In Santa Maria in Viridis’ site, the exedra from which the

water emerged, clad in white marble, collected the water at

its base and, by gravity, through the central slightly slop-

ing channel, fed the basin, also entirely nished in white

marble.

The centre of the podium therefore functions as a court-

yard that can be dated back to the Roman period, which

lasted approximately four centuries in the history of the

city. The site is attested as an oppidum liberum under Ro-

man authority from 104 BC (Phythian-Adams 1921), and

historical sources conrm an urban prole with public,

commercial, and productive structures

According to the AskGate hypothesis, there are clear

parallels between the viridarium and its water system and

Herod’s building projects, as reported by Flavius Josephus

regarding the construction of fountains and porticoes in As-

calona (Josephus Flavius 1974, I, 422).

To verify this hypothesis and provide more specic de-

tails about the structure, investigations were carried out in to

construction techniques alongside archaeological analy ses

of the excavation stratigraphy and material characteri-

zation. During the excavations, mortar samples were taken

from within the water system and are currently being anal-

ysed through petrographic, mineralogical and microarchae-

ological studies

The recongured presbytery oor is located above the

level of the channel and the exedra basin, representing

a complete obliteration of the previous water system and

basin. It includes the area of the basin within the exedra,

occupied by a throne placed at the centre of the apse and

raised approximately 80 cm above the level of the altar,

which itself is elevated by at least three steps from the rest of

Documents and ndings indicate that, during the Roman period,

the city was a maritime center with a signicant port, renowned for trade

(Di Segni, Tsafrir and Green 2015, 1021), but also a hub of manufac-

turing and agricultural activities (Di Segni, Tsafrir and Green 2015,

1029–1031).

The mineralogical and petrographic analyses were carried out by

the team supervised by Emma Cantisani of the CNR in Firenze. The mi-

croarchaeological analyses (FTIR and C14) were conducted at the Scien-

tic Archaeology Unit laboratory of the Weizmann Institute of Science

(Israel) by the team supervised by Elisabetta Boaretto.

Fig. 2. Within the Ascalona (Ashkelon, IL) ancient city, historical architectures can be identified based on historical documents

and archaeological studies (elaborated by @AskGate)

Il. 2. W starożytnym mieście Ascalona (Aszkelon, IL) zabytkową architekturę można zidentyfikować na podstawie dokumentów historycznych

i badań archeologicznych (oprac. @AskGate)

The ancient practice of reuse. From the Roman viridarium to the medieval church in the old Ashkelon (Israel) 7

the nave. Two granite columns with white marble bases and

single scotia mouldings frame the front. Interestingly, clay

material was used to ll the basin in the exedra, likely in-

tended to seal it and prevent the possible emergence of water.

If the oor reveals a classical building while the paint-

ings refer to a medieval church, it is necessary to continue

analysing the composition of the main front to obtain a more

complete understanding. The exedra–apse is anked by two

niches, the pastophoria, which in their current conguration

feature pointed arches at the top and traces of marble clad-

ding at the bottom.

Analysis of their construction clearly shows that the point-

ed upper part of the niches was cut into the preexisting wall,

while the lower portion was partially lled in (Figs. 6–8). The

reconguration of these two niches reects an original clas-

sical structure, with a straight upper prole and positioned

nearly at oor level. To convert the structure into a church,

these two architectural elements of strong aesthetic value,

were enlarged in height and capped with a pointed arch

form, cutting through the courses of the wall blocks. The

pointed geometry of the two pastophoria, the protiron to the

north and the diaconicon to the south of the apse, indicates

a medi

eval rather than Byzantine period

, consistent with

the likely

later dating of the frescoes (Lecci 2025, 192–194).

This

conguration became widespread particularly between

the

and 13

centuries, and in the Holy Land similar

pointed-arch features are found in architectural elements, for

example in the openings of Montfort Castle (Luschi, Aiello

2012; 2017; Aiello 2010, 42, 43). These observations have

led to a reassessment of the original function of the site and to

the understanding that it was converted into a Latin Christian

cultic structure during the medieval period.

Conclusions

The architectural reading of the site, and the composi-

tional and functional analyses, have led to an interpretation

In line with the prevailing historiographical periodization, the text

denes the “Byzantine period” as the time span up to the 7

century, which

concludes with the Muslim conquest of the rst half of the 7

century (Phy-

thian-Adams 1921; Stager, Schloen 2008). However, the Christian-Byzanti-

ne heritage in Ascalona demonstrates a longer persistence, as documented by

the presence of bishops in the city at less than the 10

century (Bagatti 1974).

Fig. 3. Photographs of the church called Santa Maria in Viridis, located along the city walls near the main gate, also known as the Jerusalem Gate,

in Ascalona (Ashkelon, IL). The site is organized across three terraces: a) the entire site occupied by the architectural complex, b) the rounded

tower of the city walls behind the church, c) the level of the church and the four standing granite columns (elaborated by @AskGate, mission 2023)

Il. 3. Zdjęcia kościoła zwanego Santa Maria in Viridis, położonego wzdłuż murów miejskich w pobliżu bramy głównej, znanej również jako

Brama Jerozolimska, w Ascalonie (Aszkelon, IL). Teren jest podzielony na trzy tarasy: a) cały teren zajmowany przez kompleks architektoniczny,

b) zaokrąglona wieża murów miejskich za kościołem, c) poziom kościoła i cztery granitowe kolumny (oprac. @AskGate, misja 2023)

a b

8 Cecilia Luschi, Marta Zerbini, Alessandra Vezzi, Novella Lecci

of the structure that identies a phase predating its cong-

uration as a medieval church, which can instead be traced

back to a classical-period building. The considerations

dis cussed above allow for the formulation of new re con-

struc tion hypotheses, according to which the space and its

architectural elements were converted using new design

languages, adapting the space to its new use.

In the hypothesis that sees the previous conguration of

the medieval church as a structure of Roman period, it is

possible to recognize: an exedra, later transformed into an

apse; a system of basins and channels, whose structure re

calls that of nymphaea, a term used with various nuances

over time (Settis 1973), also indicating monumental foun-

tains

(Figs. 9, 10).

In order to support and disseminate the research ndings via

a mobile application, graphic reconstructions of the three historical func-

tions served by the architectural structure were developed; these images

Fig. 4. Photographs of the church called Santa Maria in Viridis, in Ascalona (Ashkelon, IL), and details from the water system: a) the water system

located on the structure of the plateau (second terrace) [The water system is lined with white marble, fragments of which have been found.

It includes basin, channel, fountain, inspection basin and cistern.], b) the basin in the apse, c) the connection channel, d) the basin

(photos by @AskGate)

Il. 4. Fotografie kościoła zwanego Santa Maria in Viridis w Ascalonie (Aszkelon, IL) oraz detale systemu wodnego: a) system wodny znajdujący

się na konstrukcji plateau (drugi taras) [System wodny wyłożony jest białym marmurem, którego fragmenty zostały znalezione. Obejmuje on

basen, kanał, fontannę, basen inspekcyjny i cysternę], b) basen w absydzie, c) kanał łączący, d) basen (fot. @AskGate)

The ancient practice of reuse. From the Roman viridarium to the medieval church in the old Ashkelon (Israel) 9

Fig. 5. Plan and section of the site in Ascalona (Ashkelon, IL) following the 2023 excavations carried out by the AskGate project.

The elements of the water system are indicated: 1 – basin located in the exedra, 2 – channel connecting the exedra to the basin,

3 – basin, 4 – lead pipe connecting the basin to the small pit, 5 – small pit, 6 – reservoir, 7 – small channels converging into

the reservoir (elaborated by @AskGate)

Il. 5. Plan i przekrój terenu w Ascalonie (Aszkelon, IL) po wykopaliskach w 2023 r. przeprowadzonych w ramach projektu AskGate.

Wskazano elementy systemu wodnego: 1 – zbiornik zlokalizowany w eksedrze, 2 – kanał łączący eksedrę z basenem, 3 – basen,

4 – ołowiana rura łącząca basen z małym wykopem, 5 – mały wykop, 6 – zbiornik, 7 – małe kanały zbiegające się do zbiornika (oprac. @AskGate)

10 Cecilia Luschi, Marta Zerbini, Alessandra Vezzi, Novella Lecci

Fig. 7. Geometric study of the shape of the niches, the pastophoria of the medieval church near the Jerusalem Gate in Ascalona (Ashkelon, IL).

The arch

delimiting them at the top is a pointed arch. The radius of curvature of the arches forming the figure is equal to two-thirds of the span of the niche

(elaborated by @AskGate)

Il. 7. Geometryczne studium kształtu nisz, pastoforiów średniowiecznego kościoła w pobliżu Bramy Jerozolimskiej

w Ascalonie (Aszkelon, IL). Łuk ograniczający je od góry jest ostrołukowy. Promień okręgu tworzącego krzywiznę łuku jest równy

dwóm trzecim rozpiętości niszy (oprac. @AskGate)

Fig. 6. The northern pastophorion

of the medieval church near

the Jerusalem Gate in Ascalona

(Ashkelon, IL). They were

evidently remodelled by cutting

through the entire wall facing.

Afterwards, they were plastered

and painted with Christian-themed

verses in the Arabic language

(photo by @AskGate)

Il. 6. Północne pastoforium

średniowiecznego kościoła

w pobliżu Bramy Jerozolimskiej

w Ascalonie (Aszkelon, IL).

Zostały one najwyraźniej

przebudowane poprzez przebicie

całej ściany elewacyjnej.

Następnie otynkowano je

i pomalowano pokrywając

wersetami w języku arabskim

(fot. @AskGate)

The exedra and the nymphaeum are, moreover, closely

related elements, since originally the term indicated a sacred

place dedicated to nymphs, characterized by above ground

were created by overlaying drawings by Prof. Andrea Ricci onto the 3D

model representation (Luschi, Vezzi 2025; Vezzi 2024).

or subterranean spaces with water features, where the exedra

becomes a metaphor for a grotto and is often adorned with

decorations evoking a natural environment. This relation-

ship is also reected in the analysis of the Ascalona remains.

The space, which may have been marble-clad, as suggested

by the stone fragments found in the niches, the exedra, and

The ancient practice of reuse. From the Roman viridarium to the medieval church in the old Ashkelon (Israel) 11

Fig. 9. Photographs of the site in Ascalona (Ashkelon, IL): a) the apse with the partially exposed presbytery floor, supporting the columns,

which reveals the channel running underneath, connecting the apse to the basin, b) detail of the basin, where fragments

of the marble cladding are still visible (photos by @AskGate)

Il. 9. Zdjęcia stanowiska w Ascalonie (Aszkelon, IL): a) absyda z częściowo odsłonietą posadzką prezbiterium, na której spoczywają kolumny,

widoczny kanał łączący absydę z basenem, b) fragment basenu, gdzie nadal widoczne są fragmenty

marmurowej okładziny (fot. @AskGate)

a b

Fig. 8. Façade of the church near the Jerusalem Gate in Ascalona (Ashkelon, IL). The section passes through the channel. The second terrace,

on which the church is built, and the third terrace, corresponding to the city walls at the top of the embankment, are visible

(elaborated by @AskGate based on 2023 survey)

Il. 8. Fasada kościoła w pobliżu Bramy Jerozolimskiej w Ascalonie (Aszkelon, IL). Przekrój przechodzi przez kanał. Widoczny jest drugi taras,

na którym stoi kościół, oraz trzeci taras, odpowiadający murom miejskim u góry nabrzeża (oprac. @AskGate na podstawie badań z 2023)

12 Cecilia Luschi, Marta Zerbini, Alessandra Vezzi, Novella Lecci

Fig. 10. The church near the Jerusalem Gate in Ascalona (Ashkelon, IL) and reconstruction hypotheses: a) the 3D model visualization

of the site with the columns removed, b) a perspective view of a reconstruction hypothesis of the Roman viridarium,

c) a perspective view of a reconstruction hypothesis of the medieval church (elaborated by @AskGate)

Il. 10. Kościół w pobliżu Bramy Jerozolimskiej w Ascalonie (Aszkelon, IL) i hipotezy rekonstrukcji: a) wizualizacja 3D stanowiska

z usuniętymi kolumnami, b) perspektywiczny widok hipotezy rekonstrukcji rzymskiego wirydarza, c) perspektywiczny widok hipotezy rekonstrukcji

średniowiecznego kościoła (oprac. @AskGate)

a b c

the basin, seems to recall known models such as the Nym-

phaeum of the Erotes in Ostia: an open space entirely clad in

marble, with a semicircular niche on one of the walls, other

niches arranged along the perimeter, and a central fountain.

A similar conguration can be found in the nymphaeum of

the Villa of the Mosaic Columns in Pompeii, where the space

is dened by an exedra built against a wall, with a fountain

arranged along the same axis of symmetry. Nymphaea and

viridaria are architectural types that are widespread through-

out the Mediterranean basin, including the southeastern pro-

vinces. In these regions, however, such structures tend to be

limited to contexts of marked monumentality, as document-

ed by the current state of research (Lamare 2019).

This hypothesis is further supported by the presence of

a lead pipe connecting the basin to the small square basin,

a technology widely used in the Roman world.

Considering these comparisons, the structure in Asca lo-

na was originally likely an open space: an atrium, or a Ro-

man type viridarium, characterized by the presence of wa-

ter. The reuse of the architectural structure as a church can

instead be associated with the raising of the pres byterial

area and the consequent obliteration of the water system.

Thus, it was not a baptistery with a font, but an echo of

the classical structure that reorganizes a garden into a con-

ceptual garden, that is, the church, which inhabits the exedra

space through the composition of the apse and appropriates

the niches of aesthetic and decorative value, transforming

them into storage for liturgical objects. The eminence of the

place is ensured by the elevation of the presbyterial oor,

both for the seating and the altar, thus allowing the water

system, whose presence would have hindered the perfor-

mance of the ritual, to be removed.

We are therefore faced with the reuse and resemantici-

zation of a pagan civil space into a religious architecture,

translating its mystagogical reading. We propose, therefore,

the representation of what has survived over two thousand

years of history. In this site, it is possible to observe both

the original characteristics and the reuse implemented by

the Christian domain, which, following its prescriptions,

was able to make the pagan architecture express a new

function. True reuse is thus the meaning of that immateri-

al dimension that architecture can express when properly

congured.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Ministry of Foreign Aairs and In

ter national Cooperation (MAECI) for both its nancial funding and con-

tinued support. We also express our gratitude to archaeologist Rafael

Lewis and all the participants of the AskGate missions for their contri-

bution to the research.

The ancient practice of reuse. From the Roman viridarium to the medieval church in the old Ashkelon (Israel) 13

Streszczenie

Starożytna praktyka adaptacji budynku. Od rzymskiego viridarium po średniowieczny kościół w starożytnym Aszkelonie (Izrael)

Przedstawione w artykule badania skoncentrowane były na analizie architektonicznej i funkcjonalnej budowli znanej jako kościół Santa Maria in

Viridis, położonej w najwyższym punkcie starożytnego miasta Askalona (Ashkelon, Izrael), bezpośrednio przy murach miejskich i w pobliżu średnio-

wiecznej Bramy Głównej (Brama Jerozolimska). Tradycyjnie interpretowana jako kościół bizantyński z baptysterium i poddawana przekształceniom aż

do okresu średniowiecznego budowla ta wykazuje liczne niespójności architektoniczne związane z użytkowaniem liturgicznym.

Misja AskGate (Włoska Misja Archeologiczna – MAECI) przeprowadziła badania i szczegółowe analizy, stosując zintegrowaną, wieloskalową

metodologię, aby rozwiązać problemy kompozycyjne, które utrudniały jednoznaczne określenie przestrzeni kościoła. Badania architektoniczne i kom-

pozycyjne ujawniły, że kościół został wzniesiony na wcześniejszym rzymskim viridarium, wyposażonym w złożony system wodny i nimfeum, zorgani-

zowanym na co najmniej dwóch poziomach tarasowych opartych na podium. Viridarium obejmowało eksedrę z marmurową misą zbierającą wodę i kie-

rującą ją kanałem do basenu położonego w centrum dziedzińca. Na podstawie analizy architektonicznej oraz badań elementów dekoracyjnych, takich

jak freski, można wnosić, że znacząca była faza średniowieczna, podczas której budowla została przekształcona w kościół. Faza ta może odpowiadać

przemianie miejsca z przestrzeni deniowanej przez pogański język architektoniczny, charakteryzujący się obecnością eksedry, w przestrzeń wyrażającą

język chrześcijański, podkreślony obecnością absydy.

Słowa kluczowe: Aszkelon, viridarium, mistagogia, architektura historyczna, dziedzictwo kulturowe

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