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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Bekalta Baptistery, also called El Gaalla Baptistery, is a paleo-christian baptismal font richly decorated in mosaics. Found at the very end of XXe century near Bekalta, in the delegation of Bekalta and the Monastir Governorate in Tunisia, it is in a remarkable state of conservation.
Bekalta Baptistery | |
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Material | Mosaic |
Size | 250 cm (98 in) × 220 cm (87 in) |
Writing | Latin |
Created | 6thC |
Discovered | Spring 1993 El Gaalla near Bekalta in the Monastir Governorate of Tunisia. |
Discovered by | Excavation workers |
Present location | Sousse Archaeological Museum |
Classification | Baptistery |
Culture | Primitive Christianity |
The fortuitous discovery was made during grading work at a quarry on which the archaeological site is located. The excavation activity damaged the rest of the religious complex where the baptismal font was found. Even though the sources differ on the initial state of the site, the religious complex could not be studied satisfactorily.
The baptistery is now a major part of the early Christian department of the archaeological museum located in Sousse. Indeed, baptismal fonts with mosaics are extremely rare among the known sites. The polylobed shape, previously unknown in the context of a religious building, also makes it an original artifact. Thus, according to Father Silvio Gaston Moreno, "by its polylobed and cruciform shape, this baptistery […] is a unique case in North Africa".