Jericho - PENTHUCLA

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Monastery name, type, category

Site Name:

Jericho

Identification:

The monastery of Penthucla is mentioned by Moschus several times. In his accounts, the monastery, a coenobium, is located near the Jordan. Its location was suggested by Féderlin who identified remains found northwest of 'Ein Ḥajla. Féderlin's identification was confirmed by Augustinović (1951:110-111).

Monastery name:

PENTHUCLA

Monastery type:

Cenobium

Monastery category:

Desert

Source of sacredness:

New Testament site

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

248,417.00

638,133.00

Coordinates, ICS system:

198,417.00

138,136.00

Geographical region:

Southern Jordan Valley

Provincial affiliation:

Palaestina I

Bishopric:

Regio Jericho

Topographical location:

Level ground

Soils:

Marl

Distance from nearest bishop-seat:

ca. 4 km (Jericho)

Distance from nearest settlement:

ca. 4 km (Jericho)

Distance from Roman roads:

ca. 0.5 km south of the road leading from Jeicho eastwards.

Source of knowledge

HideLiterary sources

Text number	Summary
1	A monk who refuses to baptize women is chastised by a vision of St. John the Baptist, from an early 7th cent. collection of anecdotes.
2	Stories of the father of Penthucla.
3	Story of Abba Theodore of Adana.

Archaeological remains

Surveyed site

Surveyors:

Name	Date
Féderlin	1907
Augustinović	1951

Bibliograpy:

Vailhé, S., 1900	19-48; 75-78; 272-92
Federlin, L., 1903	132-34
Augustinović, A., 1951	109-10
Hirschfeld, Y., 1990	55

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

State of certainty:

Literarily definitive

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

Some remains of walls were reported by Féderlin.

Small finds

Detailed description

Components

Monastery church:

Church type	Diakonikon	Link to church section	Church location
No traces

Baptismal font

Architectural evolution

Phase 1
Abandonment

General outline:

The monastery is known from the writing of John Moschus.

Dating material:

Literary (see Literary Sources section).

Phase date

Century:

6th c.

General outline:

The monastery was probably abandoned in the early seventh century CE.

Phase date

Century:

7th c?

Within century:

First half