Beth Shemesh - Monastery (?)

Very little information was provided by Mackenzi who excavated the site. The only finds reported by him are presented here, no finds pointing to the existence of a church, or liturgical furniture etc., were presented as evidence to a monastic function of the structure. The only element identifying this complex as having a Christian context is the cross inscribed lintel, found in secondary use elsewhere. This lack of evidence is not surprising since, as Mackenezi proposed, it had been turned into a khan in the Early Islamic period and would most likely have been cleaned out. However, in the majority of ancient Byzantine sites that had been abandoned and reused for different functions, some evidence of its previous use has been found. This is particularly so at sites which were not settled in the modern age where remains disappeared under modern construction. Mackenzi reported no such finds in the structure itself or its vicinity that would indicate a monastic function. This casts no little doubt on Mackenzi’s identification of the structure as a monastery.