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==History==
The Nea was completed in 543 A.D. and its construction was noted in a book about the Justinian's building projects by the Byzantine historian Procopius. The church was designed by an architect from Constantiople Constantinople named Theodoros. Justinian directed that the church was to be built on the highest hills of Jerusalem and specified it size. Due to the size of the church as specified by Justinian, it could not be built entirely on solid rock. Thus, the south-eastern part of the structure was placed on a built up arched foundation amongst which were constructed a series of cisterns. A ''tabula ansata'' (a handled writing tablet) found in one of the cisterns associated Emperor Flavius Justinianus (Justinian) with the project which it was also noted under the care of "…most holy Constantinus, [[Priest]] and [[Hegumen]]…," who was the [[abbot]] of the [[monastery]]. Procopius also noted the need to expand the building site as the site needed also to support the monastery, a hostel, and a hospital.
The church itself was described by Procopius as a [[basilica]], with two, or perhaps four, side aisles. The length and width dimensions of the interior are about 110 m (360 ft) by 52 m (171 ft), with a central and two side aisle [[apse]]s on the eastern end. The exterior length of the building is estimated as 116 m (382 ft). A [[narthex]] was located on the west end of the building which apparently opened to a small atrium that bordered the Cardo. With its large size the church rivaled in size the [[Hagia Sophia (Constantinople)|Church of the Holy Wisdom]] in Constantinople that was also built by Justinian.
[[Image:NeaChurchMadabaMosaic.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Nea Church as shown in the Madaba mosaic map.]]
The [[Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Jerusalem)|Church of the Holy Sepulchre]], the other major church in Jerusalem at the time, was located further north along the Cardo on its other side. These two churches are displayed most prominently in the famous Madaba mosaic map of Jerusalem that was discovered in the ruins of a Byzantine church in Madaba, Jordan, in 1884. This map is the oldest pictoral view of Jerusalem and vividly shows the two churches between which processions were conducted.
The [[date of the destruction of the Nea Church is not known precisely. According to accounts preserved in ''The Capture of the Holy Sepulchre Jerusalem (JerusalemExpugnationis Hierosolymae)|Church of '' the conquering Persians and their Jewish allies destroyed the church and killed the Holy Sepulchre[[clergy]]in 614. The extent of the damage is unclear as Patriarch Sophronius delivered his Nativity sermon in the Nea Church in 634. Further damage to the church may have occurred from an earthquake in 746. In 808, a reference to the other major church appeared in Jerusalem at the time''Commemoratorium de casis Dei'' and, in 870, it was located further north along mentioned by Bernard the Cardo on its other sideMonk who stayed in a hospice next to the church. These two churches are displayed most prominently in In the tenth century, Eutychius, the famous Madaba mosaic map [[Melkite]] Patriarch of Jerusalem that was discovered in Alexandria, noted the Nea Church ruins of a Byzantine church . The damage by the Persians, in Madaba614, Jordan, in 1884. This map is may have been severe as the Persians may have searched for treasure believed stored within the oldest pictoral view church as speculated from Procopius' report of the Emperor Justinian sending sacred items to Jerusalem and vividly shows the two churches between which processions were conducted.<ref>Taylor, J: "The Nea Church", ''Biblical Archaeology Review'', Jan/Feb 2008, Vol 34, No 1, pp 51-59</ref>
==ReferncesReferences==
*''Ancient Churches Revealed''. Yoram Tsafrir, ed. Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society, 1993. (ISBN 965-221-016-1)
<references/>
==External links==
*[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Archaeology/Nea.html Jerusalem — The Nea Church and the Cardo] from the Jewish Virtual Library
*[http://www.frommers.com/destinations/jerusalem/0088030405.html The Jewish Quarter]
*[http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/History/Early%20History%20-%20Archaeology/Jerusalem-%20the%20Nea%20Church%20and%20the%20Cardo Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs: The Nea Church and Cardo]
[[Category: Churches]][[Category: Churches in Palestine]][[ro:Biserica Nouă a Maicii Domnului (Ierusalim)]]
