Liturgy and Movement : the complex associated with St Stephen's church at Umm er-Rasas, Jordan

The Late Antique building complex associated with St Stephen's church at Umm er-Rasas, Jordan, is grouped around a core consisting of four conjoined ecclesiastical structures. The spatial arrangement of the complex, puzzling on first encounter, appears to serve multiple uses and to be designed to accommodate the different aspects of liturgy performed in it. The overall space is thus architecturally zoned according to liturgical functions. Being spread out but interconnected, these areas establish a sequential route for movement. As the space of the complex gradually unfolds, the visitor must undertake a physical journey while simultaneously taking a spiritual journey through the liturgy. The process symbolically parallels a Christian's journey through life. The significance of baptism, where the journey begins, is deliberately emphasised, and it is then echoed throughout, being especially prominently stated in St Stephen's itself.