Khirbet el-Muntar - SCHOLARIUS

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Monastery name, type, category

Site Name:

Khirbet el-Muntar

Identification:

The monastery of Scholarius was established on the same peak on which the Empress Eudocia built a tower in honour of Euthymius. Cyril of Scythopolis places this about 30 stadia (5.5 km) south of the monastery of Euthymius (V. Abramii [ed. Schwartz, 245. 6-8]). The remains of Eudocia's tower were identified by Furrer on the summit of Jebel Muntar and the monastery was located at Khirbet el-Muntar nearby. The Arabic name preserves the memory of the tower: "The Ruin of the Watch-Tower".

Monastery name:

SCHOLARIUS

Monastery type:

Cenobium

Monastery category:

Desert

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

23,275.00

62,695.00

Coordinates, ICS system:

18,275.00

12,695.00

Geographical region:

Judean Desert

Provincial affiliation:

Palaestina I

Bishopric:

Jerusalem

Topographical location:

Hilltop

Soils:

Rocky limestone

Distance from nearest bishop-seat:

15 km (Jerusalem)

Distance from nearest settlement:

15 km (Jerusalem)

Distance from Roman roads:

ca. 7 km south of the road connecting Jerusalem with Jericho.

Source of knowledge

HideLiterary sources

Text number	Summary
1	A tower is built for the Empress Eudocia to the south of Euthymius’ laura, ca. AD 456.
2	Sabas at the site of Eudocia's tower, AD 478.
3	Sabas founds the coenobium of Scholarius, AD 509.
4	Abraham, abbot in Krateia, spends four years in the monastery of the Scholarios, AD 511-515.

Archaeological remains

Surveyed site

Surveyors:

Name	Date
Van Kastern	1890
Patrich	1983

History:

The monastery of Scholarius, was founded by Sabas and named for the first abbot, appointed by him, who had served as a member of the imperial bodyguard (Scholarius). The tower built by Eudocia had been occupied by some monks but Sabas settled in their stead a small community of monks from the Great Laura.

Bibliograpy:

Furrer, K., 1880	234-36
Palmer, E. H., 1881	348
van Kasteren, J. P., 1890	112-13
Vailhé, S., 1900	19-48; 75-78; 272-92
Patrich, J., 1983	65-66
Patrich, J., 1983	52-53
Hirschfeld, Y., 1990	39-40
Tsafrir, Y., Di Segni, L. and Green, J., 1994	189
Patrich, J., 1994
Patrich, J., 1995	153-58
Di Segni, L., 2005	109; 174-75
Magen, Y. and Kagan, E. D., 2012	109

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

State of certainty:

Archaeologically and Literarily definitive

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

The site was not excavated. The surveys revealed remains of walls, reservoirs, architectural fragments and tesserae. The walled monastery consisted of two wings, the southern of which was residential and separated from the rest of the complex by a wall. The western wing contained storerooms and service rooms. The thickness of the walls suggests that the structure had a second story.

Illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Figures

General description

Enclosing walls:

The monastery was surrounded by a wall (58 x 44 m) encompassing an area of 2,552 m².

Courtyards:

A courtyard was located north of the residential wing, beneath it was a reservoir with a vaulted roof.

Tower/s:

On the summit of the southern hill, a square structure (5 x 5 m) is thought to have been the tower built by Eudocia.

Churche/s:

Remains of the church were not identified.

Dwellings:

The southern wing was apparently the residential wing.

Storage facilities:

The western wing had apparently contained storage facilities and other service functions.

Hostelry:

A long structure north of the monastery may have been a hospice. A reservoir was located to the west of this structure.

Water installations:

A cistern with a vaulted roof was found under the courtyard, north of the residential wing. An additional reservoir was under the presumed location of the church, and a third was located west of the presumed hospice, north of the monastery. An open reservoir was located on the western slope of the hill on which the monastery stands.

Small finds

Small finds:

Category	Description
Pottery	Sherds
Other	Tiles
Other	Tesserae

Detailed description

Dimensions:

Total area (sqm)	Size class
2,552	Large

Structure

Materials applied (walls):

Limestone

Materials applied (roofing):

tiles

Components

Enclosing wall

Border marks

Tower/s

Courtyard/s

Monastery church:

Church type	Diakonikon	Link to church section	Church location
No traces

Number of stories:

Storage facilities – warehouses

Hostelry

Water installations:

Cisterns

Architectural evolution

Phase 1
Abandonment

Dating material:

Established by Sabas in 509 CE, based on Cyril of Scythopolis (see Literary Sources section).

Phase date

Century:

6th c.

Within century:

Early

Phase date

Century:

7th c?