STONES, THE CHURCH OF CURVE (Slanting Church) Slanting Church date
When the original wooden floor of the church collapsed, an ancient burial site came to light, with rows of funeral vaults in the walls, hewn between the 8th and 12th centuries. According to an inscription on the eastern wall, the church was dedicated to Virgin Mary. A fresco on the same wall depicts a bible stand with writing: «The vault of Kesis Petrus, Prior of the Saint Theodocos Church”—a valuable historical document.
The dome of the church is decorated with a large portrait of Christ flanked by a pair of angels, a picture of Mary and a cross. The murals of the southern wall reveal events before the birth of Jesus, then the Birth of Jesus and the Bathing of the Infant Christ in the presence of the Three Shepherds. Another mural depicts the Dream of Joseph—the heavenly revelation of Herod’s plan to massacre the Jewish newborns that induced the Holy Family’s escape to Egypt.
The murals of the sotuhern wall show Christ’s Entry into Jerusalem, Mary with infant Christ in the company of angels, Apostle Peter’s Washing of the Foot, Jesus’ discourse on Mount Olives, Women mourners at Christ’s Tomb, three young Jewish men and Prophet Daniel among the lions.
