Blue Chapel

About Blue Chapel

The Blue Chapel is a small Byzantine church of the mid-5th century on the north ridge overlooking the centre of Petra, one of three neighbouring churches built over earlier Nabataean structures: the Ridge Church at the top (late 4th or early 5th century, perhaps the first church in Petra), the Blue Chapel immediately below it, and then the Petra Church with its famous mosaics and the papyrus scrolls found inside. Together they tell a less familiar chapter of Petra's story, the city that stayed alive and prosperous in the Byzantine age after the Nabataeans had faded. The name comes from four columns of blue Egyptian granite topped with Nabataean "horned" capitals, probably moved from a nearby Nabataean monument and reused in the church, and from blue marble fittings inside. The columns fell in an 8th-century earthquake and were re-erected with their capitals by the American Center of Research (ACOR) in a restoration programme that made the site safe for visitors. In the apse is the base of a bishop's throne, with remains of a marble pulpit and marble chancel screens. The building attached to it may have served as a pilgrims' hostel or a residence for church officials. The churches are reached by a short staircase climbing north from the Colonnaded Street near the Temple of the Winged Lions, about ten minutes, and reward anyone who has finished the main trail and wants a quiet spot with a view over the city; combine them with the sheltered Petra Church, which preserves its mosaic floors.

Where:

Petra, Jordan