More on the paintings.
Some of the paintings are not quite what contemporary Christians would expect to see in church. I don't think any church today may have a mural of Mary breastfeeding a mature (say age 4 to 5) Jesus.
(quote) The church must have been built around 645 and soon afterwards the first, preliminary decoration was applied, consisting of decorative patterns and crosses, painted in simple red ochre paint.
Probably before the beginning of the 8th century a more monumental layer of paintings was begun. This second layer was apparently not planned as one consistent decorative programme, but one by one paintings were added over the 8th century.
The first painting uncovered entirely was that of the breastfeeding Virgin, an impressive image that must have been painted as one of the first of the second layer, the Virgin being the patroness of the church. It is not a coincidence that the face of Mary reminds of Fayum portraits, especially when seen from nearby. This painting, like most of the other 8th murals in the church, was done in the so-called encaustic technique, using bee's wax as a medium for the pigment. This was another interesting discovery. It was generally thought that this painting technique was forgotten by the 8th century, but these paintings, done by different masters over a span of several decades, prove the opposite.
