St. Phocas Church - Exterior Southern WallMorphe
Amioun's Timeless Gem: St. Phocas Church
St. Phocas church is a Greek Orthodox church located in Amioun (Koura), North of Lebanon. It was built by local architects during the crusader period with the help of Western artists. Like many of the medieval churches, it was built over the foundations of a classical temple.
The exterior of the church is built with limestone of different sizes.
St. Phocas - 3D modelMorphe
The church was badly damaged due to an earthquake that occurred in the area in October 1918.
The apse was the most damaged from the earthquake
St. Phocas ChurchMorphe
However, later on it was covered with a rectangular wall to strengthen it.
St. Phocas - 3D modelMorphe
The Artistic Legacy within St. Phocas Church
The interior of St. Phocas was covered with paintings, which are the most important feature of this church.
They are on the wall of the apse
the Northern wall, and the free pillars; however, only few fragments of fresco decoration survive.
St. Phocas Church - InteriorMorphe
The church has a simple barrel-vaulted nave, a deeply recessed apse and two sided aisles, separated by heavy stone piers with pointer arches.
The vents positioned above the central apse symbolize the east as the origin of the divine light that will enter through these openings.
The church's apse is semi-circular with an intrusive dome.
It is divided into two parts by a double frieze that separates the apse's wall from the shell.
The murals and the frieze are the most prominent feature of this apse.
In the lower zone of the apse are the apostles. Most of them are too damaged to be identified.
St. Phocas Church - NicheMorphe
The northern side of the apse has a niche with an equilateral triangular dome. Niches are a place for the baptismal basin to keep the relics (remains of the martyrs) or to prepare the Eucharist of the mass.
St. Phocas Church - Northern ArchesMorphe
There are four free pillars, 2 in each nave.
They used to have murals on the 4 sides but few of them are left.
St. Phocas - ArchMorphe
The purpose of the pillars is to hold huge semi-circular arches.
The hole in the south east attached pillar and its opposite one in the north east pillar could have been connected with a wooden log to hang the curtain that separates the apse from the people at a certain time of the mass.
St. Phocas Church - Southern ArchesMorphe
Rectangular holes beneath the arches suggest they may have served as supports for the wooden scaffolding used in constructing the arches.
St. Phocas - 3D modelMorphe
Click to View the Interior of the Church in 3D
Right-click to rotate in place and view all sides of the church; left-click to drag the model and move from one spot to another.
