13096 - Jerusalem (Greater Jerusalem) - Monastery of the Holy Cross

Jerusalem (Greater Jerusalem) - Monastery of the Holy Cross

Church Name, type, function

Site Name:

Jerusalem (Greater Jerusalem)

Identification:

According to the Christian tradition, from the 11th century, the monastery was built on a place where the tree used to make Jesus’ cross grew.

Church name:

Monastery of the Holy Cross

Functional Type:

Monastic

Church type:

Basilical - Free standing basilica

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

219.82

631.05

Coordinates, ICS system:

169.82

1,131.00

Geographical region:

Jerusalem (Greater Jerusalem)

Topographical location:

In the Valley of the Cross, in the southwest of Jerusalem.

Distance from nearest bishop-seat:

ca. 1.5 km west of ancient Jerusalem.

Distance from Roman roads:

ca. 0.5 km west of the road between Jerusalem and Eleutheropolis (Beit Guvrin).

Provincial affiliation:

Palaestina I

Bishopric:

Jerusalem

Source of knowledge

Archaeological remains

Excavated site

Excavators:

Name	Date
Economopoulos, A.	1969-1973

Bibliograpy:

Magen, Y. and Kagan, E. D., 2012

Tchekhanovets, Y., 2016

Schick, R., 1995

Ovadiah, A. and de Silva, C. G., 1984

Tzaferis, V., 1993

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

Active monastery. During renovations in the years 1969-1973, the mosaic floor of the present-day church was removed, revealing remains of the original Byzantine-period monastery built on the site. The original church is identified as a basilical church, with evidence of additional structures discovered in the courtyard of the modern church.

Description

Illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Figures

Lateral walls:

The external walls of all architectural components of the building belong to the original church.

Nave:

Two rows of stylobate were uncovered.

Aisles:

Four tombs were found: three under the northern aisle and one between the nave and southern aisle.

Bema, chancel screen and apse:

A semicircular inscribed apse. A hewn and plastered cruciform socket is located under the location of the altar (did not survive) with remains of a painted cross on its lower surface. A small basin for ceremonial washing- thalassa, was found next to the cross. Two tombs were found, north and south of the altar. The floor was paved with marble slabs and a hewn synthronon steps were partly preserved.

Lateral spaces:

Two lockable rooms. Remains of colorful mosaic with geometric and vegetal decorations.

Small finds

Small finds:

Category	Description
Bones	The northern grave under the altar contains the remains of an old man. The southern grave under the altar contains a fragment of human bones. The middle tomb under the northern aisle contained bones of two women, 75 and 40 year old, with burn marks on their hand bones. The tomb between the nave and south aisle contained the remains of three man and a woman, who have suffered severe injuries: The woman has a fractured atlas, and a piece of arrow at the bregmatic region; a strongly built man, 60-70 years old, with a fractured vertebra; a 22-24 year old man with calcified pelvis, a cut at the upper joint of his right arm, and burn marks on his right arm and spine; and a 25-30 year old man with no visible wounds. (The fractures and cutes were all done with a cutting instrument)
Coins	In the northern grave under the altar a coin of Arcadius an Honorius, 395-408 CE, was found. In the southern tomb a coin dated to the 6th century was found, possibly belonging to the destruction of the tomb in the second phase of the church.
Other	Laurel leaves were found around the neck of the woman in the grave between the nave and south aisle.
Other	Portable wooden icons dated from the 15th to the 19th century.

Small finds illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Detailed description

Structure

Orientation:

Facing east

East end:

External apse, quadrangular

Church Head/Chevet:

monoapsidal with lockable pastophoria (mon-aps II)

Central Apse Category:

apsidal

Synthronon:

Yes

Synthronon remains:

grades

Synthronon location:

Against the apse

Burial loci

Burials loci:

Under the floor of apse, on both sides of the altar, two built stones were found, containing human remains. The southern one was destroyed in antiquity. Four graves were uncovered in the prayer hall, dated by Economopoulos to the end of the 3rd -beginning of the 4th century. Three of the graves, located under the northern aisle mosaic, are cist graves. Only the middle tomb was used. The fourth grave, located between the nave and south aisle, is a form of an underground hewn arcosolium with a small antechamber. The four tombs predate the first church, but were discovered under the floor of the second church.

Architectural Evolution

General outline	Dating material	Phase no.	Century	Within century
See General description	Economopoulos dated the phase to the end of the 4th-begining of the 5th century based on the pottery and coins. Tzafreis, after he reexamined the pottery, dates the phase to the end of the 5th - beginning of the 6th century. (Malka dates the first layer to the 6th century according to the mosaics).	Phase 1	5th-6th c.
The church transformed to a three apsidal domed basilica, Diamensions: 15.5X14.2 m. The nave was covered with a geometric mosaic containing birds.	Economopoulos asserts that the church was destroyed in 614 and restored after the earthquake of 659 He bases that on a comparison to St. Eutimyhius monastery (Khan el Ahmar).	Phase 2	7th c.	Second half
	Magen argues that the monastery underwent phases of destruction at the end of the Early Islamic period. Schick mentions that there are no signs of iconoclasm, and therefore the monastery went out of use prior to the iconoclastic period.	Abandonment	7th c.	Late

Post Arab conquest history:

Modified

Post conquest history comments:

Destroyed in 614 and rebuild after the earthquake of 659.