• from Cytryn-Silverman (2015:198-199)

In addition to the erection of the city wall, Tiberias witnessed the building of a monastery and a church at Mount Berenice, also excavated by Hirschfeld (1990–1994). Of the monastery, located at the western hill and bounded by the city wall, an olive press and a structure paved with a colorful mosaic floor were exposed.⁴⁹

The thee-apsidal church (fig. C)⁵⁰ which survived until the Crusader period with modifcations and additions, lies on the eastern hill and is provided with an atrium, a narthex connected to an oblong room to its north, a basilical prayer hall, and a northern wing consisting of two rooms. It has been dated to the sixth century according to ceramic finds. Its exterior dimensions are c. 48 x 27 m. The atrium, approached from the south, is almost square (17 x 19.5 m) surrounded by square pilasters interconnected by arches and provided with a large underground cistern in the center (7.5 x 7.5 m, 4.1 m deep) with a capacity of c. 220 cu m. It is paved with a mosaic floor composed of white concentric circles against a black background, not unlike a black-and-white mosaic found on the western hill. The narthex is 3.9 m wide and was originally paved with a colorful geometric mosaic. During the Abbasid period (750–969 CE), its southern half was occupied by a bell tower (5.1 x 6.8 m). The basilical prayer hall is 16 m wide and 23.5 m long from east to west. The central apse, 5.8 m in diameter, is provided with a synthronon (bench) and preceded by a bema (platform) (6.2 x 6.8 m). The side apses, delimited by narrowed walls, are 3.1 m in diameter. The columns seen today in situ belong to a later phase, but seem to derive from the original sixth-century church. The capitals are simple, resembling upside-down bases. The floor of the nave was originally tiled (17 x17 cm arranged diagonally), while the side aisles were covered with colorful mosaics. The unique feature of this church is a large basalt stone (484 kg) found underneath the altar in the center of the bema. It is 1.1 m long, 0.35 m thick, with a round biconical hole pierced through it. It has been identified as an anchor, hence Hirschfeld’s naming of this church as the “Anchor Church.” Following the 749 CE earthquake, the church was repaired; the floors were plastered over; the atrium and narthex were joined together following the collapse of the partition wall, while a tower (see above) was added on the south; new rooms were added by blocking off some of the space on the south; and buttresses were added from the outside, against both the eastern and southern walls. In the prayer hall, the inner division was made by seven pairs of short columns found in situ. The main modification that took place during the Abbasid period was at the area opposite the bema: it was blocked off by walls and surrounded by benches, thus creating a small chapel.⁵¹ This church clearly continued in use at least until the twelfth century, though the only certain find that allows a post–eleventh-century dating for the final use is a figurate fresco (depiction of a saint?) found underneath the stones that overlaid the anchor stone underneath the altar.⁵²

• from Tiberias - Introduction - click link to open new tab

Cytryn-Silverman (2015:199) wrote that the Church at Mount Berineke was damaged during one of the 749 CE Sabbatical Year Earthquakes:

Following the 749 CE earthquake, the church was repaired; the floors were plastered over; the atrium and narthex were joined together following the collapse of the partition wall, while a tower (see above) was added on the south; new rooms were added by blocking of some of the space on the south; and buttresses were added from the outside, against both the eastern and southern walls. In the prayer hall, the inner division was made by seven pairs of short columns found in situ. The main modification that took place during the Abbasid period was at the area opposite the bema: it was blocked of by walls and surrounded by benches, thus creating a small chapel.⁵¹ This church clearly continued in use at least until the twelfth century, though the only certain find that allows a post–eleventh-century dating for the final use is a figurative fresco (depiction of a saint?) found underneath the stones that overlaid the anchor stone underneath the altar.⁵²

Footnotes

51. Hirschfeld, Excavations at Tiberias, 1989–1994, 112–23.

52. Ibid., 124; Amir, “Mosaics and Frescoes,” 148–49.

Effect	Location	Image(s)	Description
Collapsed wall	partition wall between the atrium and the narthex Figure 1 Plan of church on top of Mount Berineke Hirschfeld (1994)		collapse of the partition wall - Cytryn-Silverman (2015:199)
Construction of buttress walls suggesting wall tilting, displacement, or folding	eastern and southern outer walls Figure 1 Plan of church on top of Mount Berineke Hirschfeld (1994)		buttresses were added from the outside, against both the eastern and southern walls - Cytryn-Silverman (2015:199)
Repairs	various locations Figure 1 Plan of church on top of Mount Berineke Hirschfeld (1994)		Following the 749 CE earthquake, the church was repaired; the floors were plastered over; the atrium and narthex were joined together following the collapse of the partition wall, while a tower (see above) was added on the south; new rooms were added by blocking of some of the space on the south ... In the prayer hall, the inner division was made by seven pairs of short columns found in situ. The main modification that took place during the Abbasid period was at the area opposite the bema: it was blocked of by walls and surrounded by benches, thus creating a small chapel. - Cytryn-Silverman (2015:199)

• Deformation Map modified by JW from Fig. 1 of Hirschfeld (1994)

• Deformation Map modified by JW from Fig. 1 of Hirschfeld (1994)
• derived from archaeoseismic survey in Ferrario et al (2014)

• Earthquake Archeological Effects chart
  Earthquake Archeological Effects (EAE)
  
  Rodríguez-Pascua et al (2013: 221-224)
  of Rodríguez-Pascua et al (2013: 221-224)

Effect	Location	Image(s)	Description	Intensity
Collapsed wall	partition wall between the atrium and the narthex Figure 1 Plan of church on top of Mount Berineke Hirschfeld (1994)		collapse of the partition wall - Cytryn-Silverman (2015:199)	VIII +
Construction of buttress walls suggesting wall tilting, displacement, or folding	eastern and southern outer walls Figure 1 Plan of church on top of Mount Berineke Hirschfeld (1994)		buttresses were added from the outside, against both the eastern and southern walls - Cytryn-Silverman (2015:199)	VI + or VII +

This archaeoseismic evidence requires a minimum Intensity of VIII (8) when using the Earthquake Archeological Effects chart of Rodríguez-Pascua et al (2013: 221-224).