At the beginning of the 21st century, this archaeological find remains particularly important, despite the discovery of the later Bekalta baptistery [fr] in the early 1990s.

Since its discovery in October 1953 in the church of the priest Félix, in the locality of Demna, seven kilometers from Kélibia,[1] the work has been one of the masterpieces of the Bardo Museum.

[5] Although the site has not been extensively excavated, a necropolis covering more than a hectare was reported by the diggers, and a Christian low relief, studied by Paul Gauckler [fr],[6] was discovered nearby in the early 20th century.

[1] Jean Cintas [fr], an engineer, and archaeologist, excavated the church in the summer of 1955 with the help of staff from the Antiquities Department, the Forestry Administration and solidarity workers.

[12] The latter excavations shed light on the building's history and layout,[13] even though Duval notes the rapid deterioration of the ruin.

[17] The initial abandonment of the building is estimated at the beginning of the 5th century, and its supposed final state corresponds to the time of the Byzantine reconquest.

[16] Apsidal chapels[17] were gradually built along the aisles to house the graves of privileged families, giving the architectural ensemble a martyrium-like appearance.

[22] The dead were buried not far from their relics, as in Carthage, where the basilica of Damous El Karita included "rooms for funerary use".

[26] The plan was then modified: the apse was reduced, and the presbytery was extended into the quadratum populi by a platform supporting the wooden altar, which contained two sarcophagi.

[27] The baptistery was rebuilt in the second half of the 6th century under Byzantine influence on a new plan and covered with a dome resting on pillars; this work was "an important innovation in a church whose architecture had previously been so mediocre".

[20] The church was again partially restored at the end of the Byzantine era or at the beginning of the Arab occupation (7th–8th centuries),[16] with the floor raised.

[13] These works were carried out after heavy destruction "too serious to be repaired",[30] and only a small part of the old building, the former north aisle, was used, along with the chapels on this side.

[31] The shrinking of churches is a well-known fact in North Africa, dating back to the 7th century; the Christian community declined but may have persisted after the Arab conquest.

[35] The edifice is small, even at its largest extension, with maximum proportions of 24 × 12 m;[36] the means devoted to it were limited[37] and the population few, despite the lack of knowledge we have of the neighboring ancient agglomeration.

[49] The fifty funerary mosaics feature a small number of motifs, a dozen or so representing Christian symbols, the most frequent being birds and roses.

According to Cintas, the abandonment of funerary mosaics was due to impoverishment, even though mosaicists continued to work on the site, and recent tombs are devoid of epigraphs.

[62] The complex of baptistery and kiosk constitutes "an important innovation in this church, hitherto so banal in plan and so poor in structure", even if the form is not original.

The 2.10-meter-diameter vat is set about ten centimeters off the ground[61] and stands on a square mosaic pavement, decorated at the corners with four cantharus[65] or craters from which scrolls, or vine branches emerge.

[72] The entire rim is decorated with two lines of text, with the bases of the columns[69] represented in cross-section; this text is problematic because of the names of the people quoted:[73] "In honor of the holy and blessed bishop Cyprian, head of our Catholic church, together with the holy Adelphius, priest of this church of unity, Aquinius and Juliana his wife and their children Villa and Deogratias have laid this mosaic destined for eternal water"; the dedicators and dedicatees are thus named.

[43][66] The polychrome interior is richly decorated with "a very concerted symbolic program":[7] dove with white and yellow feathers carrying an olive branch, cup of milk and honey, crate, baldachin housing the cross, dolphins supporting a chrism, image of Christ, fish, candles, trees, and flowers including lilies.

[74] The identification of bees[65] was called into question in 1984 by Paul-Albert Février, who based his study on the marine iconography present on the mosaics preserved in the Bardo Museum and considered that they were representations of cephalopods in general and cuttlefish in particular.

[77] Mohamed Yacoub considers that "the technical execution of the work is rather mediocre", the overall effect given being linked to the contrasts in color.

[3] In his book, Christian Courtois describes the layout of the figures: after crossing at the threshold, the catechesis finds the bishop on his left.

The divine message is placed in his direction, and he can then access the knowledge of the Christianity and receive the chalice of milk and honey traditionally offered to the newly baptized.

[84] Noah's Ark, a symbol of the unity of the Church, can bear witness to the circumstances in which the work was created, particularly the struggles between Donatists and Catholics.

[78][88] According to Duval, the dedication of a baptistery to a saint other than John the Baptist is rare, and the inscription leaves "a certain margin of uncertainty".