Jerusalem (Mount of Olives) - DOMINUS FLEVIT (8th century)

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Monastery name, type, category

Site Name:

Jerusalem (Mount of Olives)

Identification:

Dominus Flevit commemorates the site of Christ's weeping, predicting the future destruction of Jerusalem (Luke 19: 37-43). The tradition is late (not earlier than the Crusaders period). Ovadiah (1970, no. 72), following Bagatti, called it after St. Anna, but Milik had commented that this should rather be the site where Christ was weeping for Jerusalem.

Monastery name:

DOMINUS FLEVIT (8th century)

Monastery type:

Cenobium

Monastery category:

Para Urban

Source of sacredness:

New Testament site

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

223,008.00

631,695.00

Coordinates, ICS system:

173,005.00

131,693.00

Geographical region:

Jerusalem Mount of Olives

Provincial affiliation:

Palaestina I

Bishopric:

Jerusalem

Topographical location:

The monastery is located on a steep slope east of Jerusalem.

Soils:

Limestone and terra rosa.

Distance from nearest bishop-seat:

ca. 0.3 km (Jerusalem)

Distance from nearest settlement:

ca. 0.3 km (Jerusalem)

Distance from Roman roads:

ca. 1 km south of the road leading towards Jericho.

Source of knowledge

Literary sources

Archaeological remains

Excavated site

Excavators:

Name	Date
Bagatti	1955-1956

Bibliograpy:

Bagatti, B., 1955-1956	240-70
Bagatti, B. and Milik, J. T., 1958
Milik, J. T., 1960	354-57; 550-555
Ovadiah, A., 1970
Schick, R., 1995

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

State of certainty:

Archaeologicaly definitive

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

The plan of the eighth century monastery was apparently similar to that of the earlier one. No major changes were reported by the excavator between the phases. For a description of the monastery see 5-7th century Phase.

Illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Photos

Figures

Dominus Flevit- plan of the Monastery (Bagatti 1955-56)

General description

Agricultural and industrial installations:

An oil press was found in the northwestern part of the monastery.

Small finds

Small finds:

Category
Inscription - see under epigraphy

Detailed description

Components

Monastery church:

Church type	Diakonikon	Link to church section	Church location
single nave	Diakonikon		Ground floor

Agricultural installations:

oil press\es [=o/p]

Water installations:

Cisterns

Architectural evolution

Phase 1
Abandonment

General outline:

The monastery was rebuilt sometime in the eighth century CE. The plan was probably very similar to the plan of the early monastery.

Dating material:

Numismatic (coins dated between 685-785) and literary (Commemoratorium de casis Dei)

Phase date

Century:

8th c.

General outline:

The monastery was abandoned before the Crusader period but no precise dating has been offered.

Phase date

Century:

Other

Post Arab conquest history:

Built anew

Post conquest history comments:

A later, Ottoman structure was built over part of the site.