Umm el Amr - ABBA SERIDOS

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Monastery name, type, category

Site Name:

Umm el Amr

Identification:

The excavators identified the remains at Umm el-'Amr as the "Monastery of Hilarion" based on an inscription naming the saint and the proximity to Gaza. This identification was disputed by Di Segni who suggested identifying the site as the monastery of Abba Seridos (Di Segni 2007: 645-647).

Monastery name:

ABBA SERIDOS

Monastery type:

Cenobium with dispersed cells outside its wall

Monastery category:

Para Urban

Pilgrims

Source of sacredness:

Sacred Objects

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

139,609.00

595,781.00

Coordinates, ICS system:

89,601.00

95,783.00

Geographical region:

Coastal plain

Provincial affiliation:

Palaestina I

Bishopric:

Gaza

Topographical location:

Level ground close to the seacoast.

Soils:

Sandy

Distance from nearest bishop-seat:

ca. 12 km (Gaza)

Distance from Roman roads:

ca. 4 km west of the road connecting Gaza and Rafia.

Source of knowledge

HideLiterary sources

Text number	Summary
1	Mention of the coenobium of Abba Seridus in Thauatha, from an early-sixth century collection of anecdotes.
2	Mention of the monastery of Abba Seridos, from a life of the sixth century monk Barsanuphius, allegedly written by his disciple.
3	Dorotheus in the monastery of Abba Seridos, from a sixth century work on monastic life.
4	Apparition of a strange bishop in the church of the monastery.
5	The ascetics of the monastery of Abba Seridos build an infirmary in which Dositheus serves, from a mid-sixth century life.
6	Mentions of the monastery of Abba Seridos in Gaza, from a seventh century life of John III patriarch of Alexandria.

Archaeological remains

Excavated site

Excavators:

Name	Date
Elter and Hassoune	2004

Bibliograpy:

Bitton-Ashkelony, B. and Kofsky, A., 2000	14-62
Bitton-Ashkelony, B. and Kofsky, A., 2000	69-110
Elter, R. and Hassoune, A., 2004	359-82
Elter, R. and Hassoune, A., 2005	13-40
Di Segni, L., 2007	643-55
Elter, R. and Houssan, A., 2008	129-44
Elter, R. and Houssan, A., 2011	187-204

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

State of certainty:

Archaeologicaly definitive

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

The complex is a remarkably large one consisting of two wings. The North wing includes an elaborate bath-house and a large hostel while the south wing includes the church and the monastic complex. The entire complex was surrounded by a perimeter wall, part of which survives. The excavations revealed the major part of the complex with its two wings.

Illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Figures

Umm el Amr-plan of the complex (Elter and Hassoune 2008: 134, Fig. 3).

Umm el-Amr, general plan of the bath complex (Elter and Hassoune 2012: 201, fig. 17)

General description

Enclosing walls:

The monastery was surrounded by a wall measuring 98 m on the east-west axis and 155 m on the north-south axis.

Courtyards:

The complex contained several courtyards, the most important of which was the atrium of the church (20.8 x 20.8 m) paved in stone flags and surrounded by porticos on the north, west and south sides. The plan of the site shows a medium sized courtyard south of the church, probably within the monastery itself. A courtyard was located in the hostlery, between the northern and the southern guest rooms. Other courtyards were not remarked on by the excavators.

Churche/s:

The ecclesiastical area consists of a large basilical church, an adjacent chapel, a baptistery, a crypt, and an atrium surrounded by porticos. According to the excavators, the ecclesiastical complex underwent seven phases: three times it was entirely rebuilt, modifications make up the rest of the phases. The earliest phase, which was not defined as a church, from the fourth century, consists of an uneven quadrangle built of mud brick. In its center is a rectangular crypt decorated with crosses painted in red.

Dwellings:

The monastery area is located south of the church in the southern wing of the complex. No identification of the specific areas of the monastery was published. The plan of the site shows a great number of rooms and halls that made up the monastery, some of which were most likely dwellings.

Refectory:

A refectory is mentioned by the excavators but not described.

Bathhouse:

The hostel and bath-house form the northern wing of the complex and cover an area of 6,250 m² (78 x 80 m). The bath-house (800 m²; 22 x 30 m) is in the southern part of the structure. It apparently was intended to serve the pilgrims visiting the site.

Latrine/s:

Latrines are mentioned by the excavators but not described.

Burials:

A rectangular crypt decorated with crosses painted in red is located beneath the church. The entrance to the crypt is in the nave, a mosaic pavement covers the entrance. The mosaic of the second phase bears an inscription: "For the prayers and intercession of our holy father Hilarion, have mercy, Amen". The excavators propose that the proximity of the inscription to the tomb, suggests that this is the tomb of Hilarion to which his remains were brought from Cyprus and that it may have marked the location of his first cell. A second tomb was installed in the atrium in which remains of several individuals were found of all ages and both sexes.

Storage facilities:

Granaries are mentioned by the excavators but not described.

Kitchen:

The eastern part of the hostelry included a kitchen area.

Hostelry:

The hostel (700 m²) makes up the northern part of the northern wing. The eastern part of the hostel served as a kitchen with guest rooms on the north and south.

Small finds

Comments, discussion and summary:

Barring the floor plan of the entire complex, including the monastery, the excavators gave no information on the monastic area. From a careful study of the floor plan it is possible to superficially describe the monastery: it seems that only the rooms found to the west and north of the atrium were actually built at the same time as the later stages of the church. The function of these rooms is not clear and the excavators did not comment on them. To the south of the church a triangular annex seems to have been a later addition. It consists of what looks like a trapezoid courtyard adjacent to what had originally been the outer wall surrounding the church complex, surrounded by small rooms on its southern, western and eastern sides. It is difficult to judge from the plan but seems that only two or three openings connected this complex with the church precinct itself. It is impossible to know the function of the many rooms based on the floor plan.

Detailed description

Dimensions:

Total area (sqm)	Size class
14,000	Large

Structure

Materials applied (walls):

Limestone

Brick

Materials applied (roofing):

tiles

timber

Components

Enclosing wall

Courtyard/s

Monastery church:

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

Baptismal font

Refectory

Dwelling type:

cells

Bathhouse

Latrines

Storage facilities – warehouses

Kitchen

Hostelry

Tombs type:

Burial chamber

Water installations:

Channels

Painted plaster

Inscribed crosses

Architectural evolution

Phase 1
Phase 2
Abandonment

Phase name (as published):

Niveau 7

General outline:

A coenobitic monastery was founded around a memorial church that housed the tomb of a holy person (according to the excavators- the tomb of Hilarion- based on an inscription). The excavators concentrated mostly on the church, dating of the monastic phases was minor.

Dating material:

Based on the finds and the architecture, construction the monastery was dated to the sixth century.

Phase date

Century:

6th c.

Within century:

First half

Phase name (as published):

Niveau 4

General outline:

The site was transformed into a pilgrimage center, an elaborate pilgrims' hospice and bath-house were constructed. There was a total separtation between the ecclesiastical/monastic area and that of the hospice and bath area.

Dating material:

Based on the architecture and numismatics.

Phase date

Century:

6th c.

General outline:

The bathhouse underwent several phases between the sixth and eighth centuries but no changes were reported by the excavators in the monastic precinct. The monastery and hospice continued to function in the Early Islamic period, being abandoned sometime in the eighth century CE through a slow process of decline.

Phase date

Century:

8th c.

Post Arab conquest history:

Still in use