Chancel screen with a depiction of the cross on Golgotha

Chancel screens, made of marble or stone, separated the congregation from the Bema. Decorated with carved frames surrounding a central motif, they were held in place by grooves that ran along the sides of posts at the outer edge of the bema. All the chancel screens have a carved border, but the motifs inside this border are highly varied. Nevertheless, it is possible to discern several common types such as the cross inside a laurel wreath and the cross flanked by deer, rams, or birds. Screens of this type have been unearthed in churches all over Israel and Jordan.