Al–Qalis Church, Sanaa

The Al–Qalis Church, Sana'a was a Miaphysite church constructed sometime between 527 and the late 560s in the city of Sana'a. The church's lavish decorations made it an important place of pilgrimage, placing it in competition with Kaaba in Mecca.

Al–Qalis Church
Remains of the church in 1942.
Religion
AffiliationOriental Orthodox
Location
LocationSana'a
Architecture
TypeChurch
Completed6th century

Background

In the aftermath of the massacre of the Christian community of Najran by the ruler of the Himyarite Kingdom Dhu Nuwas. The Miaphysite King of Aksum, Kaleb sought to avenge the deaths of his brothers in faith by launching a punitive expedition (520) into the Yemeni kingdom. Dhu Nuwas was deposed and killed, prompting Kaleb to appoint a Christian Himyarite, Esimiphaios (Sumuafa Ashawa), as his viceroy. However, around 525 this viceroy was deposed by the Aksumite general Abreha with support of Ethiopians who had settled in Yemen and withheld tribute to Kaleb. When Kaleb sent another expedition against Abreha this force defected, killing their commander, and joining Abreha. Another expedition sent against them met the same fate, leaving Yemen under Abreha's rule.[1] [2]

Construction

Abreha sought to promote Christianity in the predominantly Jewish kingdom while also attempting to antagonize the Kaaba in Mecca, a major religious centre for the adherents of Arab polytheism. Abreha, therefore, ordered the construction of the Al–Qalis Church (also known as Al–Qulays and Al–Qullays, from the Greek Ekklesia)[3] in Sana'a. Letters were sent to both Aksum and the Byzantine Empire, requesting marble, craftsmen and mosaics. The absence of mosaic making tradition in Pre-Islamic Arabia and Ethiopia at the time, along with the frequent use of mosaicists by the Byzantines to achieve diplomatic objectives corroborates that the Byzantines complied. Historian Procopius records that an envoy was dispatched to Abreha during the reign of emperor Justinian I, placing the construction of the church between 527 and the late 560's.[4]

The church was constructed from green, yellow, white and black stone which was brought from an older castle located at Ma'rib. Leading to the church was a marble staircase, while the door was made of bronze or copper. The church combined three separate architectural elements known as bayt, iwan and qubbah. Iwan and qubbah, consisted of mosaic ornamentation of floral motives and gold star for the former, and polychrome mosaic crosses, silver and gold for the latter. Taking into consideration a Byzantine edict issued in 427 prohibiting the placement of crosses to locations where they can be stepped upon, it is probable that the crosses were positioned on the walls. The rest of the decoration consisted of carved precious woods and ivory, combined with gold panels inset with precious stones and crosses. Chroniclers make no reference to figurative representations, a style commonly encountered in the aniconic Syrian and Palestinian mosaic traditions. [5]

The influence of the church as a place of pilgrimage may have been the reason behind the actions of Mecca's pagans who attempted to befoul the church. Between 552 and 555, Abreha organized a punitive expedition in response to this incident. In 685, the pretender to the throne of the Umayyad Caliphate Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, removed three columns along with a number of mosaics from the church, with intention of using them in the redecoration of the Great Mosque of Mecca. This incident marks the first recorded use of mosaics in Islamic architecture. The church is said to have survived at least until the reign of the Abbasid caliph Al-Mansur (714–775) at which point it was looted once more.[5][6]

See also

Notes
Citations
  1. Munro-Hay 1991, pp. 57.
  2. King 1980, pp. 37.
  3. Ullendorff 1960, p. 56.
  4. King 1980, pp. 37–39.
  5. King 1980, pp. 37–40.
  6. Guidetti 2009, p. 9.

References
  • Guidetti, Mattia (2009). "The Byzantine heritage in the Dār al-Islām: churches and mosques in al-Ruha between the sixth and twelfth centuries". Muqarnas. Brill. 26: 1–36. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  • King, Geoffrey (1980). "some Christian wall-mosaics in pre-Islamic Arabia. In Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies". Cambridge: Archaeo Press: 37–43. JSTOR 41222963. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  • Munro-Hay, Stuart (1991). Aksum: An African Civilization of Late Antiquity (PDF). Edinburgh: University Press. ISBN 978-0748601066. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  • Ullendorff, Edward (1960). The Ethiopians: an Introduction to Country and People (2nd ed.). London: Oxford University Press.
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