Mar Saba; Deir Marsaba; Sabas; Great Laura - GREAT LAURA

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Monastery name, type, category

Site Name:

Mar Saba; Deir Marsaba; Sabas; Great Laura

Identification:

The site of the present day Greek Orthodox monastery of Deir Mar Saba has been in use since its foundation as the Great Laura by Sabas in 483 CE.

Monastery name:

GREAT LAURA

Monastery type:

Laura

Monastery category:

Desert

Pilgrims

Source of sacredness:

Founder's Tomb

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

23,150.00

62,358.00

Coordinates, ICS system:

18,150.00

12,358.00

Geographical region:

Judean Desert

Provincial affiliation:

Palaestina I

Bishopric:

Jerusalem

Topographical location:

Cliff

Soils:

Rocky limestone

Distance from nearest bishop-seat:

ca. 17 km (Jerusalem)

Distance from nearest settlement:

ca. 17 km (Jerusalem)

Distance from Roman roads:

ca. 13 km east of the road connecting Jerusalem with Bethlehem.

Source of knowledge

Show HideLiterary sources

Text number	Summary
1	Sabas finds a cave in the desert and spends five years there alone, AD 478-483.
2	The foundation of the laura, AD 483, and its organization during the first years.
3	Sabas buys a hostel in Jericho and builds one at the laura, ca. AD 490.
4	Attributes of those allowed to become cell dwellers.
5	Sabas buys cells and makes a hostel for the laura, ca. AD 494.
6	Construction of a bakery, hospital and a church for the Armenian brothers, at the laura, AD 501.
7	Miracles at the laura.
8	Sabas' tomb.
9	A vision of Sabas cures two brothers from Bouriron.
10	Miracles performed by Sabas after his death.
11	John the Hesychast arrival and first years at the laura, AD 490s.
12	A fig tree miraculously grows in John's cell.
13	Confused mention of the monastery of holy Saba in the area of Bethlehem, from an 8th cent. guidebook for pilgrims.
14	Mention of the laura of St Sabas among the inventory of monks in the Judean Desert, from an official report ordered in AD 808.

Epigraphy

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Surveyed site

Surveyors:

Name	Date
Guérin	1868-1869
conder and Kitchener	1871-1877
Corbo	1958
Meinardus	1964-1965
Patrich	1982-1983

History:

Sabas first settled in this steep part of the Qidron valley in 478 CE, as narrated by Cyril of Scythopolis (see literary sources section). Other monks gathered around him and later founded the laura. The laura became the largest and most important and influential laura in Palestine. In spite of a certain decline after the death of Sabas, the laura continued to function as an important monastic center. In the early seventh century at the time of the Persian invasion of Palestine, the laura was attacked by Saracens. Most of the occupants fled with a few remaining who were massacred by the marauding tribe. The laura was reoccupied a short time later by some of the monks returning from their places of exile. The cells of the laura were still occupied in the first half of the eighth century attested by the report of the pilgrim Willibald, narrated by the nun Hugeburc. At a later date, the core of the monastery was surrounded by walls for security and the cells were no longer occupied. In the middle ages the monastery continued to be an important doctrinal and theological center. The monastery continues to function to the present as the Greek Orthodox monastery of Marsaba.

Bibliograpy:

Tobler, T., 1854	837-55
Guérin, V., 1868-1880	III: 92-111
Conder, C. R. and Kitchener, H. H., 1883	219-220
Ehrhard, A., 1893	32-79
Vailhé, S., 1897	112-21
Vailhé, S., 1897-1898	209-25
Vailhé, S., 1898	33-47
Vailhé, S., 1898-1899	194-210
Vailhé, S., 1899	332-41
Vailhé, S., 1899	18-28
Vailhé, S., 1900	168-77
Vailhé, S., 1900	19-48; 75-78; 272-92
Baumstark, A., 1920	123-29
Marcoff, M. and Chitty, D. J., 1929	167-78
Corbo, V. C., 1958	107-10
Festugiè‎re, A. -J., 1962
Frances, D. J., 1963	80-85
Meinardus, O., 1964-1965	220-50
Meinardus, O., 1969	392-401
Wilkinson, J., 1977	169
Ovadiah, A. and De Silva, C. G., 1981	241
Ovadiah, A. and De Silva, C. G., 1981	240-41
Ovadiah, A. and De Silva, C. G., 1981	241-42
Ovadiah, A. and De Silva, C. G., 1981	254
Patrich, J., 1988	131-66
Patrich, J., 1989
Griffith, S. H., 1989	7-19
Hirschfeld, Y., 1990	31-32
Patrich, J., 1993	233-43
Patrich, J., 1994
Tsafrir, Y., Di Segni, L. and Green, J., 1994	182-83
Patrich, J., 1995
Patrich, J., 1995
Schick, R., 1995	402-403
Di Segni, L., 2005	21-23; 140-222
Patrich, J., 2011	205-18
Magen, Y. and Kagan, E. D., 2012	113-116

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

State of certainty:

Archaeologically and Literarily definitive

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

The modern monastery of Mar Saba covers an area approximately 100 x 60 m. and constitutes the core of the ancient laura. The core consisted of several churches, a kitchen, a bake house, food stores, stables, a hospital and a cemetery. Most of the components are known from the literary sources.The cells of the laura, spread out over both sides of the Kidron canyon, have been extensively surveyed.

Illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Figures

Map of the great laura (Patrich 1995:82,no 26).

Great Laura-plan of the churches(Patrich 1995:69).

Great Laura- reconstruction of a dwelling complex (Patrich 1995: 98,no.41).

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Paths:

The laura formed a complex architectural system, the cells and the core interconnected by means of a wide system of paths and hewn stairs. Two paths passed at the foot of the cliffs on both sides of the gorge and a third, at the top of the cliff on the western side of the gorge.

Tower/s:

Sabas had a dwelling tower built for himself above the church of Theoktistos. This is no longer extant.

Churche/s:

Three churches were constructed in the laura:

1. A small chapel or prayer house was built on the eastern bank of the canyon although its precise location is not known.

2. The church of Theoktistos was a cave church. This church was described by Cyril of Scythoplis (V. Sab. 18, 102) the description fitting the present day church of St. Nicholas of Myra. The church today is almost square, 11 m on each side, with a deep apse. South of the apse, a space served as a baptistery. Cyril mentions a diakonikon, today serving as a display room for the skulls of monks. A sealed shaft connected the church with the Tower of Sabas that had been constructed above the church.

3. The church of Theotokos, today called the Great Church. It was built across the courtyard from the church of Theoktistos. It is not known to what extent today's church matches the ancient church. The present day church is a rectangular hall measuring 20 m up to the iconostasis, and ca. 7 m wide. The bema, excluding the apse, is 3.5 m and the apse is 3.5 m deep. The total length of the church reaches 27 m. A narthex (6.1 x 3.65 m) is located west of the church.

Prayer niches or chapels were found in fifteen of the cells. According to Patrich, it is probable that all the cells had such installations.

Dwellings:

The cells of the monks were spread out over an area of about 2 km to the north and south of the core. Forty five dwelling complexes of monks were documented, dispersed along the cliffs, and five more on the surrounding hills. The concentration of the cells is highest at close proximity to the core and diminishes as the distance grows. The dwelling complexes were found to be of several types, some of which served for the dwelling of a single monk while others served for small groups of 2-3 (a master and his disciples, brothers, common ethnic group) who shared the complex. The dwellings also vary in complexity, some making do with a basic hewing and leveling (mostly in the early dwelling complexes) while others show highly sophisticated construction of rooms, chapels, towers, balconies and water installations. Most of the cells had water cisterns and small garden plots. The majority of the cells were relatively small though some were large and multi-roomed intended for more than one monk. Fifteen of the cell complexes show signs of chapels or prayer niches. These were either rock-cut, partially rock-cut and partially built or entirely built.

Burials:

Sabas was buried in the cemetery of the laura, today located under the courtyard in which his tomb is situated.

Storage facilities:

Storerooms for grain were located next to the hostel.

Cave/s:

The cells of the monks made use of the natural caves on both sides of the canyon.

Baking oven:

A bakery is known to have existed from the writings of Cyril of Schythopolis.

Hostelry:

The existence of a hostel is known from the literary sources but its location has not been ascertained. It is also known that the hostel was located close to the edge of the ravine. Patrich opined that its remains are to be identified with ruins located some 100m to the west of the Women's Tower.

Hospital:

A hospital is known from the writing of Cyril of Scythopolis, its location presumed to be where the present day kitchen and refectory are located, beneath the level of the Great Church, to its north.

Stable:

A stable is known from the sources but its location is unknown. Today's stable, no longer in use, is located inside the upper gate of the present monastery.

Water installations:

Fourteen large cisterns were still in use in the modern era. It is known that the core of the laura had large cisterns but their number is not known. Two aqueducts brought water, one arriving from the west, the other from the northwest. Several large cisterns are located along the streambed of the Kidron. The dwelling cells had their own cisterns, each with its own water collecting system.

Garden:

Archaeological remains testify to the existence of small terraced plots of soil next to some of the Laura's cells.

Agricultural and industrial installations:

Two quarries were found from which stones for the construction of some of the cells and the core were hewn.

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Detailed description

Dimensions:

Total area (sqm)	Size class
400,000	Large

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Materials applied (walls):

Limestone

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Border marks

Tower/s

Courtyard/s

Monastery church:

Church type	Diakonikon	Church location
cave	Diakonikon	Ground floor
cave	Diakonikon
cave
cave
cave
cave
cave
cave
cave
cave
cave

Baptismal font

Refectory

Dwelling type:

cells

seclusion tower

caves

Kitchen

Baking oven

Stable

Hostelry

Hospital

Tombs type:

Burial chamber

Built paths

Retaining walls

Garden

Water installations:

Cisterns

Channels

Inscribed crosses

Architectural evolution

Phase 1
Phase 2

General outline:

The laura consisted of a core that contained churches, bakery, hospice for pilgrims, hospital and other service structures and the monks' cells that were dispersed over the cliffs on both banks of Wadi Qilt. A system of paths connected the various parts of the laura.

Dating material:

Founded by Sabas in 483 CE based on the writings of Cyril of Scythopolis.

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Century:

5th c.

Within century:

Second half

Post Arab conquest history:

Still in use

Post conquest history comments:

Due to security, the cells were abandoned after the Arab conquest and the monastery continued to function in the core area where defensive walls were constructed. Although sacked several more times in the Early Islamic period (notably in 797 CE), it continues to function to the present.

In continuous use