THE WELL OF SAMARIA
(1) The holy priest Arculf travelled through Samaria, and arrived at a city of that district whose Hebrew name is Shechem, though in Greek and Latin it is normally called Sicima. It is commonly (though incorrectly) called Sychar. (2) Close to this city and outside its wall he saw a church with four bays stretching out to the four points of the world, like a cross. There is a sketch of it below. (3) Inside this church, and in the centre of it, is the Spring of Jacob, often called the "Well". It is midway between these four bays. Here, one day at noon, the Saviour sat down, tired by the effort of his journey. (4) At this noon time the Samaritan woman also came to the well to draw water. Amongst other things which the woman said to the Lord was this reply, "Lord, thou hast nothing with which to draw water, and the well is deep" <John 4:11>. (5) Arculf, who drank water from this well, had this to say about its depth "The well I saw was forty orias deep" (this means forty cubits, since an aria or a cubit is the width of both hands stretched out side by side). (6) Shechem, also called Sicima, was once accounted a city of priests and a city of refuge in the tribe of Manasseh. It is in Mount Ephraim, and Joseph's bones were buried there.
(transl. Wilkinson)
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