Ein Ḥajla - CALAMON (PAPYRON)

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Monastery name, type, category

Site Name:

Ein Ḥajla

Identification:

The laura of Calamon was first mentioned by Paul, bishop of Elusa (v. Sancti Theognii 7 [ed. Van den Gheyn, AB 10 {1891} 85-86.II]) according to whom Theognius was received there and settled in a cave. This event took place around 485 CE. Two sites were suggested for the location of the laura of Calamon. Some have suggested identifying it at the modern site of Deir Ḥajla (Marti 1880: 14-15; Vailhé 1889: 520) but this identification has been rejected by modern Scholars for lack of evidence. Féderlin identified the location about 200 m east of 'Ein Ḥajla. Hirschfeld pointed out that this suggestion appears more logical considering that "Calamon" means "reed bush" and a location near the spring would have had a dense growth of reeds giving rise to the name (Hirschfeld 1990: 25-26, no. 13).

Monastery name:

CALAMON (PAPYRON)

Monastery type:

Laura with a cenobium at its core

Monastery category:

Desert

Source of sacredness:

Old Testament site

New Testament site

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

24,850.00

63,741.00

Coordinates, ICS system:

19,850.00

13,741.00

Geographical region:

Southern Jordan Valley

Provincial affiliation:

Palaestina I

Bishopric:

Regio Jericho

Topographical location:

Level ground

Soils:

Marl

Distance from nearest bishop-seat:

6 km (Jericho)

Distance from nearest settlement:

6 km (Jericho)

Distance from Roman roads:

ca. 6 km from the road passing Jericho.

Source of knowledge

HideLiterary sources

Text number	Summary
1	Chariton distributes money to the poor and to the holy fathers of the deserts, who live scattered in the caves of the Reed-bush, late 3rd cent.
2	Theognius takes up residence in the laura of Calamon and is miraculously cured, ca. AD 485.
3	Father Silas visits a friend of his who lives in the eremitical caves of Calamon, from an anonymous 6th cent. hagiography.
4	George enters the monastery of Choziba, but after performing a miracle, secretly leaves for laura of Calamon, from an early-mid. 7th cent. life written by his disciple.
5	The monks hide during the Persian invasion, AD 614.

Archaeological remains

Surveyed site

Surveyors:

Name	Date
Féderlin	1903
Dinur	1986
Sion	1996

Bibliograpy:

Vailhé, S., 1898	106-19
Federlin, L., 1903	132-134
Thomsen, P., 1907	76; 95
Avi-Yonah, M., 1937	252-54
Dinur, U., 1986	118
Meinardus, O., 1965-1966	328-56
Hirschfeld, Y., 1990	24-26
Tsafrir, Y., Di Segni, L. and Green, J., 1994	96
Schick, R., 1995	279
Sion, O., 1996	245-64
Magen, Y. and Kagan, E. D., 2012	299-300

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

Discussion:

The scant remains cannot confirm that those reported by Féderlin belonged to the laura of Calamon. It should be pointed out that the enclosing walls and cells surrounding a central courtyard, reported by him, are more in keeping with a cenobitic monastery than a lauritic one.

State of certainty:

Literarily definitive

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

The site has not been excavated. Later surveys reported building blocks, tesserae, fragments of colored mosaics, broken glass, metal and pottery. The site is in a very poor state of preservation. Féderlin reported that the remains of the monastery were found 200 m. from the spring of ‘Ein Ḥajla. He described remnants of walls, mosaic tesserae and a central building in the center of which was a courtyard and a cistern (7.5 m diameter). The courtyard was surrounded by dwelling cells. Today, only a cistern remains and a small amount of Byzantine pottery.

General description

Enclosing walls:

The walls reported by Féderlin apparently measured 30 x 48 m, enclosing an area of some 1440 m³.

Courtyards:

Féderlin reported a courtyard but its remains are no longer visible.

Churche/s:

Colored tesserae may indicate the presence of the church but no remains were reported in the latest survey.

Dwellings:

Féderlin reported remains of dwelling cells around a courtyard. Several other dwellings, both constructed and hewn were reported in the vicinity.

Cave/s:

In the vicinity, some caves, hewn into the marl, served as dwellings.

Water installations:

A cistern (7.5 m diameter) was located in the courtyard.

Small finds

Small finds:

Category	Description
Pottery	Fragments
Glass	Fragments

Comments, discussion and summary:

The poor state of preservation of this and other sites in the southern Jordan Valley are probably explained by the construction method that utilized mud-brick for the walls, sometimes over a stone foundation. This method of construction was still prevalent in the Jericho region in the twentieth century.

Detailed description

Components

Enclosing wall

Courtyard/s

Monastery church:

Church type	Diakonikon	Link to church section	Church location
unknown

Dwelling type:

cells

Architectural evolution

Phase 1
Abandonment

General outline:

No remaining structures of the laura were found, some blocks of stone, colored tesserae and glass fragments were the only remains.

Dating material:

The monastery was founded sometime between 456-470 CE, based on the literary sources (see literary sources section)

Phase date

Century:

5th c.

Within century:

Second half

Dating material:

The monastery went out of use by the mid-eighth century (Schick 1995: 279)

Phase date

Century:

8th c.

Within century:

Mid

Post Arab conquest history:

Still in use