The site on the Jordan River, where John the Baptist baptized Jesus, has attracted the building of many churches over the centuries. The latest of these, built in 2003, is the St. John the Baptist Church, a Greek Orthodox Church, whose patron was none other than the Greek shipping magnate, Stavros Niarkos. Other patrons have added embellishments, such as the interior mosaic floors and the gold for the dome.  This small sandstone building has beautiful proportions. Its interior is covered in colorful Byzantine-Greek styled painted frescoes, and its floors have charming mosaic floors in the historic Greek and Roman opus tessellatum technique. The separate bell tower has windows of cobalt blue. Not far from this church stand several other construction sites, evidence of an Armenian Christian Church and a Catholic Church being built on the grounds surrounding this holy religious  site. 

PHOTOS: Left Column: 1. Mosaics in the tessellatum style, which decorate the floor of the church. 2. Mural depicting the ritual of baptism as nourishment for the spirit, just one of many beautiful frescoes decorating the interior of the church. 3.  Center of the floor mosaic depicting St. John the Baptist. Center, Top: View of the golden dome of St. John the Baptist Church on the Jordan River. Center, Bottom: View of the St. John the Baptist Church from a curve in the Jordan River.  Right Column: 1. Central medallion fresco. The chandelier hangs from this painting of Christ surrounded by angels. 2. Windows in the St. John the Baptist Church. 3. A mural in the apse of the church.

JOURDAN ARPELLE-ZIEGLER                                        BACK TO MAP  PAGE