Locally known as “Kasr al-Wadi,” AlManara/Hammara temple is the site of a Roman shrine upon which a Christian church was later constructed. The shrine, square in shape, consisted of an altar surrounded by sixteen pillars and set inside a larger enclosure. In style there is an apparent similarity with the temple of Mashnaqa above Byblos.
A Greco Roman architecture
When the church was built, the Greek dedicatory inscription to Jupiter was reused as an architrave and a Maltese-like cross was added. Note that the columns in the church (which has been reconstructed) are thicker in the center than at the two ends. This device, used by classical builders to make columns appear straight, here fails in its purpose, partly because the columns are unusually short and squat.
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