Khirbet el-Latatin - Monastery (?)

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Monastery name, type, category
Site Name: 
Khirbet el-Latatin
Identification: 
The site, a way station for pilgrims, was identified by Thomsen as the site appearing on the Madaba map as To Ennaton, located nine Roman miles from Jerusalem (Thomsen 1907: 61). This identification has been accepted by scholars.
Monastery name: 
Monastery (?)
Monastery type: 
Cenobium
Monastery category: 
Isolated in the countryside
Pilgrims
Location
Coordinates, ITM system: 
21,600.00
64,174.00
Coordinates, ICS system: 
16,600.00
14,174.00
Geographical region: 
Judean Hills
Provincial affiliation: 
Palaestina I
Bishopric: 
Jerusalem
Distance from nearest bishop-seat: 
ca. 12 km (Jerusalem)
Distance from Roman roads: 
Near the road connecting Jerusalem with Lod-Diospolis.
Source of knowledge
Epigraphy
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Surveyed site
Surveyors: 
NameDate
Conder and Kitchener
1871-1877
Baramki
1935
Housseini
1940, 1942
Kochavi
1967-1968
Magen and Finkelstein
1993
Selinger
1998
Excavated site
Excavators: 
NameDate
Itah
1993
Greenfeld
1995
State of certainty: 
Uncertain / Questionable
General description
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Churche/s: 

The church had two phases. In the second phase it was enlarged and mosaic pavements added.

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Comments, discussion and summary: 

The site served as a waystation for pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem (see identification). Di Segni writes that even if the site was served by a small monastic community, it did not form a monastery but was probably under the direct leadership of the patriarch of Jerusalem (Di Segni 2012: 430).

Detailed description
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Materials applied (walls): 
Limestone
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Monastery church: 
Church typeDiakonikonLink to church sectionChurch location
single nave
Ground floor
Architectural evolution
Phase name (as published): 
Phase II
General outline: 
A small church on the road leading to Jerusalem was enlarged to serve the flow of pilgrims. It is not known if this served as a monastery
Dating material: 

Architectural considerations.

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Century: 
6th c.
Post Arab conquest history: 
Abandoned
Post conquest history comments: 
In the Umayyad period the site became an oil press.