Ein 'Avdat - Hermitage

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Monastery name, type, category

Site Name:

Ein 'Avdat

Monastery name:

Hermitage

Monastery type:

Hermitage/hermitages

Monastery category:

Desert

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

177,187.00

526,085.00

Coordinates, ICS system:

127,187.00

26,107.00

Geographical region:

Central Negev

Provincial affiliation:

Palaestina III

Bishopric:

Elusa

Topographical location:

Cliff

Distance from nearest bishop-seat:

ca. 32 km (Elusa)

Distance from nearest settlement:

ca. 3 km ('Avdat)

Distance from Roman roads:

ca. 1.5 km east of the road leading southwards from Gaza

Source of knowledge

HideEpigraphy

Text number	Summary
1	Grafitti with invocations of Christ and of Saint Theodore, on the northern wall of Cave 2.

Archaeological remains

Surveyed site

Surveyors:

Name	Date
Meshel and Tsafrir	1977

Bibliograpy:

Meshel, Z. and Tsafrir, Y., 1977
Negev, A., 1981
Tsafrir, Y., 1984	271
Tsafrir, Y., Di Segni, L. and Green, J., 1994	120
Figueras, P., 1995	411-14

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

State of certainty:

Archaeologicaly definitive

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

The hermitage caves at 'En 'Avdat were surveyed but not excavated. The state of preservation is good.

Illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Photos

Figures

En Avdat cave no. 1 (Figueras 1995 fig. 4 after Meshel and Tsafrir 1977)

En Avdat cave no. 2 (Figueras 1995, fig. 5, after Meshel and Tsafrir 1977)

General description

Paths:

The cells are accessible by a set of narrow steps carved into the rock.

Churche/s:

Cave 1 consists of two rooms, in one of which there is a niche with a cross carved above it. This may have served as the chapel of the hermitage.

Dwellings:

The site consists of a complex of four caves hewn in the rock. The caves are situated 60 m above the river bed and around 40 m below the precipice. Cave 1 consists of two rooms (4.5 x 4.8 m and 1.6 x 1.5 m), one of which may have served as a dwelling. Cave 2 consists of one room (5.30 x 5.60 m.). Cave 3 consists of one room 7 m above cave 2. It is possible that this cave was never completed.

Storage facilities:

In cave no. 4, two flat surfaces inside the cave had been purposely cut into the rock to serve as storage devices.

Cave/s:

The entire complex is located inside hewn caves.

Kitchen:

The surveyors suggest that cave no. 4 may have been used as the kitchen of the hermitage.

Water installations:

The site is located just above the spring of 'Ein 'Avdat.

Small finds

Detailed description

Dimensions:

Size class
Small

Components

Monastery church:

Church type	Diakonikon	Link to church section	Church location
No traces

Dwelling type:

caves

Storage caves

Kitchen

Built paths

Water installations:

Spring

Inscribed crosses

Architectural evolution

Phase 1
Abandonment

General outline:

The hermitage can be regarded as active at the same time as the monastery in 'Avdat itself. It was possibly settled in the sixth century.

Phase date

Century:

6th c.

General outline:

With the destruction of the town during the Arab conquest, in 636 CE, the hermitage was probably abandoned.

Phase date

Century:

7th c.

Within century:

First half

Post Arab conquest history:

Abandoned