A late Roman Ampulla with the depiction of Saint Menas from Andriake Church B
A late Roman Ampulla with the depiction of Saint Menas from Andriake Church B

Summary/Abstract: This study elaborates on an ampulla found in Church B in Andriake harbor. Church B, one of the six churches in Andriake, was built in the early 5th century AD and was in use until the early 7th century. There is a depiction of Saint Menas in the gesture of orans on both sides of the ampulla, which was found in the church during the excavation between 2011-2013. Additionally, on both sides of Menas, there are camels bent over on his feet. The ampulla, thought to have been produced in the Saint Menas sanctuary, is dated to the early 7th century AD. Saint Menas is one of the military saints born to an Egyptian Christian family. After declaring that he was a Christian, he was executed and killed, and his lifeless body was tried to be burned in the fire. His body, saved from the fire by the believers of Menas, was taken to Egypt and buried in Abu Mina in the Mareotis Region. A large church dedicated to the saint was built in Abu Mina in the 4th century AD. After Abu Mina became a complex city, ampullae with depictions of Saint Menas were crafted there. These ampullae were taken to their destinations by those who came to the saint’s church to fulfill their sacred pilgrimage, by putting holy water and oil, which are believed to heal their inner world. The ampulla found in Andriake must have been brought to Andriake by someone from Myra who went to Abu Mina for a holy pilgrimage.

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