| Show Earliest Christian Chapel Moved From Syria to New Haven Fine Arts Gallery The earliest Christian chapel ever discovered has been moved overseas overseas over over- seas from Syria and reconstructed In the Yale Gallery of Fine Arts at It New Haven Conn The chapel is of ot extraordinary historic interest since it dates from the early part of the Third century when Christians Christians Christians Chris Chris- worshiped secretly in Romes Rome's catacombs in such tiny concealed rooms as the Ule Syrian chapel On the walls are paintings indicating how early Christians pictured such scenes as Christ healing the lameman lameman lame lameman man at Capernaum Peter attempting attempt attempt- ing to walk on the water and the three Marys at the tomb of ot Christ A like box affair is identified as an early baptismal font It is roofed by a barrel vault supported by pil pil- lars Yale archeologists who unearthed the chapel in ruins of the on Euphrates says a writer in the Kansas City Star trace its history through several generations of use ending with Duras Dura's fall in the Persian Persian Per Per- sian siege of at A. A D D. D The chapel they explain first was merely a secluded secluded secluded se se- room in the home of ot wealthy L S j i Christians who must have offered it as a safe sare place for worship in time of Christian persecution A generation or two later when the Christian sect had grown stronger strong strong- er and was more tolerated the family family family fam fam- ily moved out leaving the large and elegant house to the com com- The archeologists infer this from finding no trace of stove cistern or other household gear At this time the thc rooms rooms were rearranged rearranged rearranged re re- re- re arranged a and d w walls us of the tiny chapel chap chap- el were decorated with their m many Biblical paintings Other rooms r in inthe inthe inthe the house were incongruously left adorned with pagan friezes This suggests to the archeologists that taste had changed or else that final siege of the city in interrupted interrupted interrupted inter inter- the renovation I tion |
