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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.
