Trench M

LOCATION: the eastern edge of the complex
DIMENSIONS: ca. 5 x 8 m
EXCAVATED: 2000
INTERPRETATION: the southern half of the apse of the church and the southern pastophorion

DESCRIPTION: the excavated part of the apse included well-preserved two rows of the synthronon installation but the marble pavement of the apse's interior was very fragmentary. Inside the pastophorion (a room for the preparation of the church's services), an enigmatic installation was found built against its northern wall. The installation resembles a large, deep storage bin constructed of stone blocks and having a roof made of slabs. The interior was deprived of finds. Adjacent was a circular pithos-like stone installation with a small opening at the top, which also did not yield any finds. Both installations appear secondary.

FINDS: Nabataean ceramics (1st century A.D.), ceramics dated to the 4th-6th and probably 7th centuries A.D., numerous painted wall plaster fragments with the text of Psalm 91,