The largest church that has existed in Jerusalem is the Nea Church from 6th century, built by the Roman Emperor, Justinian. However, the church was destroyed in the course of time, and only after many centuries it was rediscovered. Today, only a small portion of the original structure in the form of a small fragment of the Southern Apse exists near the Dung Gate of Jerusalem and is visible to the public. Immediate to this structure is an archaeological park known as Gan HaTekumah, which displays remains from the Crusader and Arab periods. Remnants of the Northern Apse of Nea Church were also discovered, but they remain closed to the public, and it is much difficult to locate deep inside the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem. See more in my previous post here.
Remains of the Northern Apse of the Nea Church
Remains of the Southern Apse of the Nea Church
Gan HaTekumah Archaeological Garden
I saw the locked up "Church Entrance" somewhere in the Jewish Quarter a long time ago, in 2009 when I was studying to be a guide. I was in the old city of Jerusalem when I gently asked an Israeli guide about the location of what was left of the Nea Church "The Basilica of Saint Mary the New"; he was so kind to take me deep into the Jewish Quarter and a key to a garage door was handed to him, we went down some steps and I saw remains of an apse to the Nea Church. The damage by the Persians, in 614, may have been severe as the Persians may have searched for treasure believed stored within the church as speculated from Procopius' report of the Emperor Justinian sending sacred items to Jerusalem.
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