Khirbet en-Nasara - Monastery (?)

Vertical tabs

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
Hide Archaeological remains
Surveyed site
Surveyors: 
NameDate
Robinson and Smith
1841
Guérin
1868-1869
Conder and Kitchener
1871-1877
Kochavi
1967-1968
Excavated site
Excavators: 
NameDate
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.

Hide 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.

Hide Small finds
Detailed description
Hide Structure
Materials applied (walls): 
Limestone
Hide Components
Enclosing wall
Monastery church: 
Church typeDiakonikonLink to church sectionChurch location
unknown
Ground floor
Architectural evolution
General outline: 
Two structures and remains of a possible enclosing wall.
Hide Phase date
Century: 
Early Christian / Byzantine