Monastery of the Virgins
Encyclopedia
The Monastery of the Virgins is a structure uncovered during Benjamin Mazar
's excavations south of Jerusalem's Temple Mount
. The large number of Christian religious finds from the site have prompted its identification with a monastery described by a pilgrim, Theodosius the archdeacon, in his De Situ Terrae Sanctae, a work of the early 6th century. The building was constructed in the 4th century on the remains of an earlier Herodian
building identified with the Second Temple
courthouse, and was destroyed during the Persian sack of Jerusalem
in 614.
on behalf of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
. Carried out between 1968 and 1977, the excavations revealed that a crowded residential neighbourhood stood in the area to the immediate south of the Temple Mount enclosure during Jerusalem's Byzantine Period
. 10 metres (32.8 ft) from the Triple Huldah Gate
, at the foot of the Temple Mount's southern wall
, the excavators revealed a structure whose plan resembled a typical Byzantine courtyard house, with wings arranged around a central courtyard. Built on top in the remains of a large Second Temple Period
building and an older burial cave, the house featured three stories of which the basement and ground floor were well preserved. The excavation of the building yielded earlier Iron Age II shards, including a LMLK seal
and the head of a fertility figurine. However, as a result of the building's excellent state of preservation digging beneath its floors was abandoned in order to allow its display to the public.
Measuring 17.9 metres (58.7 ft) by 17.3 metres (56.8 ft), the structure was built in the early 4th century as a single spacious unit. Its ground floor included the courtyard, a kitchen, shops and staircases leading to the basement and the floor above, which housed a chapel. In the mid-6th century the northern and southern wings of its ground floor were modified and sealed off from the rest of the building.
A destruction layer testifies to the destruction of the building in a great conflagration, probably during the Persian sack of the city in 614. In the destruction layer were found the remnants of the upper floor, which collapsed into the floor below. The remains of weapons, probably the defenders', were also found at the site. These include a sword, a scabbard, a pickaxe, a dagger and an umbo
, a rare feature of the Byzantine weapons repertoire.
While adjacent areas were built over during the subsequent Islamic periods, the building in area XV was left undisturbed. This allowed for its excellent state of preservation. It is currently accessible to visitors to the Jerusalem Archaeological Park at the foot of the Al-Aqsa Mosque
.
, an altar table and a Second-Temple era stone ossuary
in use as a reliquary
and containing a skull. Crosses were ubiquitous, including on roof tiles, oil lamps, door knockers, and several bronze crosses, one of which was 65 centimetre in length. Several fragments of a chancel screen depict two deer, Christian symbols of faith and devotion mentioned in , facing a cross planted on the Hill of Golgotha. A stone lintel was found depicting a cross enclosed within a wreath.
Additional finds include copper alloy chains and incense bowls, copper alloy lock and clasps decorated with the image of an arched entrance to a church, a sinuous dragon-headed arm from a multi-armed copper candelabra, and a copper hearth with decorative animal legs complete with rings for suspension.
In the northern section of the building which included the kitchen and several storage rooms, were found multiple storage jars. In some of these were found remnants of the food they once contained, including lentil
and chickpea
.
The excavators believe that the monastery had initially occupied the entire structure. In the 5th century, however, Jerusalem was granted patriarchal status
and the following century saw the city develop and expand. As population density in Jerusalem grew, the needs of numerous pilgrims to the holy city led to a reduction in the Monastery's area in favour of public facilities. In the mid 6th century, two wings were detached from the monastery and sealed off, the northern wing to act as a public kitchen and the southern converted into a row of shops. Food for the monastery was prepared in the public kitchen and delivered through two windows left open between the two sections of the building.
Adjacent buildings have aided the identification of the building as a monastery. 6 feet (1.8 m) from the Temple Mount wall, behind the monastery, stood a vaulted chamber with a sloping floor. This has been identified as a collection vat for wine, above which once stood a winery, a common feature of the Byzantine monasteries. A two story structure to the east of the Monastery may have served as a hospice
. Thirty well-preserved rooms were found on its ground floor, as was a red cross painted on a lintel in the building, and large watering pool on the outside.
While the building certainly was a monastery, certain finds nevertheless cast doubt on its identification with Theodosius' Monastery of the Virgins. Theodosius's description dates from the early 6th century, while the structural modifications isolating the central portion have only been dated to the mid 6th century, and possibly later. Furthermore, Greek inscriptions found in the building feature no women, only men, including one reading "for the offering and salvation of the Timotheus the priest".
The identification of the site with Theodosius' monastery was first proposed by Yizhar Hirschfeld
. Yoram Tsafrir has suggested that the monastery may have been located on the slopes below of the Temple Mount which have not yet been excavated or even in the hollows of the Temple Mount itself, within Solomon's Stables
. No evidence has been found to corroborate either suggestions.
construction. The monastery had been built over the remains of a large Second-Temple-era building which had stood adjacent to a major entrance to the Herodian Temple Mount. Benjamin Mazar had suggested that this may have been a courthouse of the Sanhedrin
, the supreme Jewish judicial and legislative body, a building referred to in the Mishnah
, Tractate Sanhedrin 11.2. Additional support for this identification comes from a fragment of a Hebrew inscription found nearby. The inscription contained the word [z]kenim (elders), probably referring to the Sanhedrin.
to publish the finds. Eilat Mazar had been her grandfather's research assistant, an area supervisor in the nearby City of David excavations, and had directed her own excavation in the Ophel in 1986-1987. The excavation report for area XV and the Monastery of the Virgins was finally published in 2003.
Benjamin Mazar
Benjamin Mazar was a pioneering Israeli historian, recognized as the "dean" of biblical archaeologists. He shared the national passion for the archaeology of Israel that also attracts considerable international interest due to the region's biblical links...
's excavations south of Jerusalem's Temple Mount
Temple Mount
The Temple Mount, known in Hebrew as , and in Arabic as the Haram Ash-Sharif , is one of the most important religious sites in the Old City of Jerusalem. It has been used as a religious site for thousands of years...
. The large number of Christian religious finds from the site have prompted its identification with a monastery described by a pilgrim, Theodosius the archdeacon, in his De Situ Terrae Sanctae, a work of the early 6th century. The building was constructed in the 4th century on the remains of an earlier Herodian
Herodian
Herodian or Herodianus of Syria was a minor Roman civil servant who wrote a colourful history in Greek titled History of the Empire from the Death of Marcus in eight books covering the years 180 to 238. His work is not entirely reliable although his relatively unbiased account of Elagabalus is...
building identified with the Second Temple
Second Temple
The Jewish Second Temple was an important shrine which stood on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem between 516 BCE and 70 CE. It replaced the First Temple which was destroyed in 586 BCE, when the Jewish nation was exiled to Babylon...
courthouse, and was destroyed during the Persian sack of Jerusalem
Siege of Jerusalem (614)
The Siege of Jerusalem in 614 was part of the final phase of the Byzantine-Sassanid Wars. The Persian Shah Khosrau II appointed his generals to conquer the Byzantine controlled areas of the Near East, establishing a strategic alliance with the Jewish population of the Sassanid Persia...
in 614.
Excavations
The building identified as the Monastery of the Virgins was unearthed in Area XV of Mazar's excavations of the OphelOphel
The City of David is the oldest settled neighborhood of Jerusalem and a major archaeological site due to recognition as biblical Jerusalem. It is a narrow ridge running south from the Temple Mount. It was a walled city in the Bronze Age and, according to tradition, it is the place where King...
on behalf of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
. Carried out between 1968 and 1977, the excavations revealed that a crowded residential neighbourhood stood in the area to the immediate south of the Temple Mount enclosure during Jerusalem's Byzantine Period
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
. 10 metres (32.8 ft) from the Triple Huldah Gate
Huldah Gates
The Huldah Gates are the two sets of now-blocked gates in the Southern Wall of the Temple Mount, situated in Jerusalem's Old City. The western set is a double arched gate , and the eastern is a triple arched gate...
, at the foot of the Temple Mount's southern wall
Southern Wall
The Southern Wall is a wall at the southern end of the Temple Mount and the former southern side of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. It was built during King Herod's expansion of the Temple Mount platform southward on to the Ophel.-Construction:...
, the excavators revealed a structure whose plan resembled a typical Byzantine courtyard house, with wings arranged around a central courtyard. Built on top in the remains of a large Second Temple Period
Jerusalem during the second temple period
Jerusalem was the principal city of Judea in the years between 538 BCE and 70 CE, from the beginning of Achaemenid rule over the city until its destruction by the Roman Empire during the First Jewish–Roman War. In Jewish history this timespan is known as the Second Temple period or Second...
building and an older burial cave, the house featured three stories of which the basement and ground floor were well preserved. The excavation of the building yielded earlier Iron Age II shards, including a LMLK seal
LMLK seal
LMLK seals were stamped on the handles of large storage jars mostly in and around Jerusalem during the reign of King Hezekiah based on several complete jars found in situ buried under a destruction layer caused by Sennacherib at Lachish...
and the head of a fertility figurine. However, as a result of the building's excellent state of preservation digging beneath its floors was abandoned in order to allow its display to the public.
Measuring 17.9 metres (58.7 ft) by 17.3 metres (56.8 ft), the structure was built in the early 4th century as a single spacious unit. Its ground floor included the courtyard, a kitchen, shops and staircases leading to the basement and the floor above, which housed a chapel. In the mid-6th century the northern and southern wings of its ground floor were modified and sealed off from the rest of the building.
A destruction layer testifies to the destruction of the building in a great conflagration, probably during the Persian sack of the city in 614. In the destruction layer were found the remnants of the upper floor, which collapsed into the floor below. The remains of weapons, probably the defenders', were also found at the site. These include a sword, a scabbard, a pickaxe, a dagger and an umbo
Shield boss
A shield boss, or umbo, is a round, convex or conical piece of material at the centre of a shield. Shield bosses are usually made of thick metal but could also be made of wood. The boss was originally designed to deflect blows from the centre of round shields, though they also provided a place...
, a rare feature of the Byzantine weapons repertoire.
While adjacent areas were built over during the subsequent Islamic periods, the building in area XV was left undisturbed. This allowed for its excellent state of preservation. It is currently accessible to visitors to the Jerusalem Archaeological Park at the foot of the Al-Aqsa Mosque
Al-Aqsa Mosque
Al-Aqsa Mosque also known as al-Aqsa, is the third holiest site in Sunni Islam and is located in the Old City of Jerusalem...
.
Finds
Multiple items of ecclesiastical nature were found in the structure. These include fragments of marble chancel screensIconostasis
In Eastern Christianity an iconostasis is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church. Iconostasis also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere within a church...
, an altar table and a Second-Temple era stone ossuary
Ossuary
An ossuary is a chest, building, well, or site made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains. They are frequently used where burial space is scarce. A body is first buried in a temporary grave, then after some years the skeletal remains are removed and placed in an ossuary...
in use as a reliquary
Reliquary
A reliquary is a container for relics. These may be the physical remains of saints, such as bones, pieces of clothing, or some object associated with saints or other religious figures...
and containing a skull. Crosses were ubiquitous, including on roof tiles, oil lamps, door knockers, and several bronze crosses, one of which was 65 centimetre in length. Several fragments of a chancel screen depict two deer, Christian symbols of faith and devotion mentioned in , facing a cross planted on the Hill of Golgotha. A stone lintel was found depicting a cross enclosed within a wreath.
Additional finds include copper alloy chains and incense bowls, copper alloy lock and clasps decorated with the image of an arched entrance to a church, a sinuous dragon-headed arm from a multi-armed copper candelabra, and a copper hearth with decorative animal legs complete with rings for suspension.
In the northern section of the building which included the kitchen and several storage rooms, were found multiple storage jars. In some of these were found remnants of the food they once contained, including lentil
Lentil
The lentil is an edible pulse. It is a bushy annual plant of the legume family, grown for its lens-shaped seeds...
and chickpea
Chickpea
The chickpea is a legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae...
.
Monastery of the Virgins
The large number of Christian items found in the structure have led to its identification with a monastery described by Theodosius the archdeacon in his De Situ Terrae Sanctae (On the Topography of the Holy Land). Theodosius describes a monastery of nuns at the foot of the Temple Mount's southeastern corner:The excavators believe that the monastery had initially occupied the entire structure. In the 5th century, however, Jerusalem was granted patriarchal status
Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem is the head bishop of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, ranking fourth of nine Patriarchs in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Since 2005, the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem has been Theophilos III...
and the following century saw the city develop and expand. As population density in Jerusalem grew, the needs of numerous pilgrims to the holy city led to a reduction in the Monastery's area in favour of public facilities. In the mid 6th century, two wings were detached from the monastery and sealed off, the northern wing to act as a public kitchen and the southern converted into a row of shops. Food for the monastery was prepared in the public kitchen and delivered through two windows left open between the two sections of the building.
Adjacent buildings have aided the identification of the building as a monastery. 6 feet (1.8 m) from the Temple Mount wall, behind the monastery, stood a vaulted chamber with a sloping floor. This has been identified as a collection vat for wine, above which once stood a winery, a common feature of the Byzantine monasteries. A two story structure to the east of the Monastery may have served as a hospice
Hospice
Hospice is a type of care and a philosophy of care which focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's symptoms.In the United States and Canada:*Gentiva Health Services, national provider of hospice and home health services...
. Thirty well-preserved rooms were found on its ground floor, as was a red cross painted on a lintel in the building, and large watering pool on the outside.
While the building certainly was a monastery, certain finds nevertheless cast doubt on its identification with Theodosius' Monastery of the Virgins. Theodosius's description dates from the early 6th century, while the structural modifications isolating the central portion have only been dated to the mid 6th century, and possibly later. Furthermore, Greek inscriptions found in the building feature no women, only men, including one reading "for the offering and salvation of the Timotheus the priest".
The identification of the site with Theodosius' monastery was first proposed by Yizhar Hirschfeld
Yizhar Hirschfeld
Yizhar Hirschfeld was an Israeli archaeologist studying Greco-Roman and Byzantine archaeology. He was an associate professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and director of excavations at a number of sites around Israel, including Ramat Hanadiv, Tiberias, and Khirbet ed-Deir...
. Yoram Tsafrir has suggested that the monastery may have been located on the slopes below of the Temple Mount which have not yet been excavated or even in the hollows of the Temple Mount itself, within Solomon's Stables
Solomon's Stables
Solomon's Stables or Marwani Mosque is an underground mosque some 600 square yards beneath al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem...
. No evidence has been found to corroborate either suggestions.
Second Temple Courthouse
Underneath the coarse stones of the Byzantine walls, the walls of the monastery were built of large finely dressed stones, plastered and molded at the joints, a feature of HerodianHerodian
Herodian or Herodianus of Syria was a minor Roman civil servant who wrote a colourful history in Greek titled History of the Empire from the Death of Marcus in eight books covering the years 180 to 238. His work is not entirely reliable although his relatively unbiased account of Elagabalus is...
construction. The monastery had been built over the remains of a large Second-Temple-era building which had stood adjacent to a major entrance to the Herodian Temple Mount. Benjamin Mazar had suggested that this may have been a courthouse of the Sanhedrin
Sanhedrin
The Sanhedrin was an assembly of twenty-three judges appointed in every city in the Biblical Land of Israel.The Great Sanhedrin was the supreme court of ancient Israel made of 71 members...
, the supreme Jewish judicial and legislative body, a building referred to in the Mishnah
Mishnah
The Mishnah or Mishna is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions called the "Oral Torah". It is also the first major work of Rabbinic Judaism. It was redacted c...
, Tractate Sanhedrin 11.2. Additional support for this identification comes from a fragment of a Hebrew inscription found nearby. The inscription contained the word [z]kenim (elders), probably referring to the Sanhedrin.
Publication
Although completed in 1977, the results of the Temple Mount excavations had not been published by Benjamin Mazar's death in 1995. In 1996 the Institute of Archaeology of the Hebrew University authorized his granddaughter, Eilat MazarEilat Mazar
Eilat Mazar is a third-generation Israeli archaeologist, specializing in Jerusalem and Phoenician archeology. A senior fellow at the Shalem Center, she has worked on the Temple Mount excavations, as well as excavations at Achzib. In addition to heading the Shalem Center's Institute of Archeology,...
to publish the finds. Eilat Mazar had been her grandfather's research assistant, an area supervisor in the nearby City of David excavations, and had directed her own excavation in the Ophel in 1986-1987. The excavation report for area XV and the Monastery of the Virgins was finally published in 2003.