THE CATHEDRAL

The cathedral is located on the edge of the Cardo maximus, on the left, just before the Nymphaeum. It is a Byzantine church that its proud inhabitants called the "cathedral". It was erected on the site of a Greco-Roman temple dedicated to the demigod of wine, vine and excess, Dionysus, which was itself located on the site of a Nabataean temple dedicated to the god Dushara. It was customary to replace existing places of worship with new ones that reflected the new prevailing beliefs. Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire from the 4th century onwards and the cathedral dates from the^5th or 6th century, as do most of the churches on the site. There is no evidence, however, that this church was any more massive than the others to bear this title. The esplanade separating the church of St Theodore and the cathedral was probably the site of a pagan festival where wine flowed freely, mixing the Greco-Roman tradition of honouring Dionysus and the Christian religion, in commemoration of the wedding in Cana where Jesus changed water into wine.

Completely ruined today, it was characterized by a rather elaborate ornamentation. Once past the portal with its Corinthian pediment, which is still in place, the rest of the building can be reached by a monumental staircase. The walls are still covered in places with Christian inscriptions honouring, among others, the archangels Gabriel (who also brought the Koran to Muhammad) and Michael. At the top of the stairs is a niche probably dedicated to the Virgin Mary.