This Byzantine church was built to serve the Byzantine village at the top of the hill, which had been established close to the Church of the Kathisma (also known as the Church of the Seat of Mary), an important religious site at the foot of the hill.

Built-in the 7th century CE, the church was constructed on the foundations of older buildings and included a central cave with two rows of columns and the apse and semi transepts, which branched off on three sides. The stone cross discovered on the site is the largest of its kind to be found anywhere in Israel.

After the transition to Muslim rule, the church survived and was still used for many years until it was destroyed in the 8th century CE. A decorative mosaic floor from a Roman-period villa has been found under the church and some agricultural structures.