Khirbet Luqa - ST. LUKE (?)

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Monastery name, type, category

Site Name:

Khirbet Luqa

Identification:

The site has been tentatively identified with the monastery founded by Luke, disciple of Euthymius, near the village of Metopa, identified with Kh. Umm Tuba, as related by Cyril of Scythopolis (V. Euthy. 16, 10-14; v. Sab. 114, 5, [ed. Schwartz]). According to Cyril, the monastery was located 35 stadia from the monastery of Euthymius. Kh. Luqa is located ca. 3.5 km northeast of Bethlehem.

Monastery name:

ST. LUKE (?)

Monastery type:

Cenobium

Monastery category:

Isolated in the countryside

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

22,224.00

62,550.00

Coordinates, ICS system:

17,224.00

12,550.00

Geographical region:

Judean Desert fringes

Provincial affiliation:

Palaestina I

Bishopric:

Jerusalem

Topographical location:

Hilltop

Distance from nearest bishop-seat:

ca. 5 km (Jerusalem)

Distance from nearest settlement:

ca. 3.5 km (Bethlehem)

Distance from Roman roads:

ca. 2 km east of the road connecting Jerusalem with Bethlehem.

Source of knowledge

Literary sources

Archaeological remains

Excavated site

Excavators:

Name	Date
Corbo	1954

Bibliograpy:

Guérin, V., 1869	III: 85
Conder, C. R. and Kitchener, H. H., 1883	110
Thomsen, P., 1907	89
Abel, F. M., 1938	II: 385-86
Corbo, V. C., 1955‎	146-48
Ovadiah, A., 1970	122-23
Avi-Yonah, M., 1976	80
Ovadiah, R. and Ovadiah, A., 1987	97-98
Tsafrir, Y., Di Segni, L. and Green, J., 1994	184-85
Kloner, A., 2000	152
Di Segni, L., 2005	82
Magen, Y. and Kagan, E. D., 2012	96

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

State of certainty:

Archaeologicaly definitive

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

Only the northern and western walls of the complex were preserved.

General description

Enclosing walls:

The complex was enclosed in a wall of which only the northern and western have survived.

Churche/s:

Part of a chancel screen decorated with crosses testifies to the existence of a church.

Small finds

Detailed description

Structure

Materials applied (walls):

Limestone

Components

Enclosing wall

Monastery church:

Church type	Diakonikon	Link to church section	Church location
unknown

Inscribed crosses

Architectural evolution

Phase 1
Abandonment

Dating material:

The site was dated by the excavator to the 5-6th century CE

Literary: Cyril of Scythopolis relates that Luke built a monastery at this location (v. Euthy. 8, 16).

Phase date

Century:

5th c.

General outline:

Probably ceased functioning in the early seventh century CE.

Phase date

Century:

7th c.

Within century:

Early

Post Arab conquest history:

Abandoned

Post conquest history comments:

At some later stage, a mosque or a weli was built over the site.