La Basilique de Zana (Diana veteranorum)

Abstract

Noël Duval, Études d'architecture chrétienne nord-africaine, V. La «Basilique», de Zana (Diana veteranorum). Une nouvelle église à deux absides ou un monument à auges?, p. 847-873. Essai d'interprétation d'un monument fouillé en 1850 par Renier puis plus complètement en 1934 sous la direction de M. Christofle. Il comporte une abside, ignorée de Gsell, et les nefs sont barrées par un mur ajouté qui peut faire penser à une contre-abside. Tentative de lecture du monogramme grec cruciforme sur le soubassement de l'abside, qui en tout état de cause date la construction de l'époque byzantine. En appendice, discussion de l'hypothèse de J. Christern qui, dans un ouvrage récent, a proposé d'interpréter le bâtiment comme un « monument à auges ».

EARLY CHRISTIAN DOUBLE‐APSED CHURCHES IN IBERIA: Some Considerations

“…Since in African churches the altars were located in the nave and the apses contained a synthronos for the seating of the clergy, 33 Duval rejects any possible connection between the Syrian ambon and the double-apsed churches of Africa. 34 The situation in Spain and Portugal is, however, somewhat more complicated.…”

“…8). 20 Nothing is actually known about the manner in which die two altars or choirs were employed in the ceremonies, or the relative importance of each. Nevertheless, one element found in two of the double-apsed churches in Spain and shared by several in North Africa suggests that in at least some of these churches the two apses or choirs were used widiin the same service.…”

“…There is, however, no consensus concerning the question, which, because of the state of the ruins, may never be answered. 7 Questions remain to be answered concerning the dating of some of these churches. Convincing evidence has been presented by Zoreda and Ulbert for placing the original construction of the church at Casa Herrera at around AD 500.…”

“…39 As Duval points out, this passage could refer to the two choruses of an antiphon rather than to two separate choirs. 40 However, if the passage is taken in a physical sense, it indicates that the deacons and presbyters were seated separately, perhaps on either side of the choir, or, in churches with a large number of clergy, in two choirs. In most of the double-apsed churches the location of the choir has not been determined and the possibility remains that, though a form resembling the African double-apsed church was adopted, the second apse functioned in a manner similar to the North Syrian ambon.…”

“…Noël Duval, in his thorough but inconclusive study of the double-apsed churches of North Africa, suggests that churches with counterchoirs are closely related to those with counterapses. 10 If one accepts this logical hypothesis, two other churches, located in diverse parts of Spain, must be added to the list. Counterchoirs were added in the sixth century to the basilica of Son Peretó (Majorca) 11 Outside of Spain and Portugal, known double-apsed churches are located primarily in North Africa, especially in modern Tunisia.…”