The Church of the Apostles, on the southern edge of the old town, holds another of Madaba's great mosaic floors — a personification of the sea, Thalassa, surrounded by fish, octopuses and sea monsters, with the apostles arranged in panels around her. The mosaic dates to 578 AD and is named in an inscription that records the donors and the artist.
The setting is more low-key than the Archaeological Park — a quieter modern shelter built over the ruins — and there is rarely a crowd. Worth the fifteen-minute walk down from the centre. The personified Thalassa, half emerging from the waves, is one of the most arresting images in any Byzantine mosaic.