Khirbet en-Nasara - Monastery (?)

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Monastery name, type, category

Site Name:

Khirbet en-Nasara

Identification:

According to Mader (1918: 109-116), the village refered to as en-Nasara (Village of the Christians) bears a tradition from the 17th century of being "Villa beatae Mariae Virginis", the place where the holy family rested during their flight to Egypt. Mader believed that this tradition existed already in the Byzantine period.

Monastery name:

Monastery (?)

Monastery type:

Cenobium

Monastery category:

Village

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

20,887.00

60,635.00

Coordinates, ICS system:

15,887.00

10,635.00

Geographical region:

Hebron Hills

Provincial affiliation:

Palaestina I

Bishopric:

Eleutheropolis

Topographical location:

North of Hebron on the slope of a hill.

Distance from nearest bishop-seat:

28 km (Beth Govrin-Eleutheropolis)

Distance from nearest settlement:

ca. 2.5 km (Hebron)

Distance from Roman roads:

0.1 km east of the road conncting Jerusalem with Hebron.

Source of knowledge

Archaeological remains

Surveyed site

Surveyors:

Name	Date
Robinson and Smith	1841
Guérin	1868-1869
Conder and Kitchener	1871-1877
Kochavi	1967-1968

Excavated site

Excavators:

Name	Date
Damati	2001

Bibliograpy:

Robinson, E. and Smith, E., 1841	317
Guérin, V., 1868-1880	III: 277
Conder, C. R. and Kitchener, H. H., 1883	360
Mader, A. E., 1918	109-116
Kochavi, M. and Ovadiah, R., 1972	58
Bagatti, B., 1983
Tsafrir, Y., Di Segni, L. and Green, J., 1994	193
Damati, E., 2001	182; 131* (English)
Bagatti, B., 2002	57-58
Magen, Y. and Kagan, E. D., 2012	195

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

Discussion:

If a monastery did exist here, and the village did indeed bear the tradition spoken of by Mader, we may assume that the monastery was associated with the tradition and perhaps named for it.

State of certainty:

Uncertain / Questionable

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

Ruins of a complex were found in the northwest of the site. Several structures and remains of an enclosing wall were noted.

General description

Enclosing walls:

On the western side of the site are the remains of a wall which may have surrounded it. The dimensions of the wall or the area encompassed are not known.

Churche/s:

A large ashlar-built structure (ca. 15 x 6 m) in an east-west orientation, assumed to have been a church.

Dwellings:

To the east of the church structure are the remains of a second structure with four vaulted rooms. The function of these rooms is not known but some may have served as dwellings.

Small finds

Detailed description

Structure

Materials applied (walls):

Limestone

Components

Enclosing wall

Monastery church:

Church type	Diakonikon	Link to church section	Church location
unknown			Ground floor

Architectural evolution

Phase 1
Abandonment

General outline:

Two structures and remains of a possible enclosing wall.

Phase date

Century:

Early Christian / Byzantine

Phase date

Century:

Unknown