Monasteries of the Judah Desert

The monasteries of the Judean Desert are early Byzantine ruins of monasteries in Judea between the line Hebron - Jerusalem - Ramallah in the west and the Jordan in the east in Palestine . They have been extensively examined archaeologically since the end of the 19th century.

With the development of Christianity in the 4th century, the Holy Land became an important pilgrimage destination . Sometimes pilgrims choose to stay and start monastic lives . Two possibilities opened up to them: on the one hand, life in the "desert", greatly favored by the neighborhood of the Holy City (since then the situation has hardly changed, except for the Israeli colonists ), on the other hand, life in Jerusalem itself, where one was able to receive other pilgrims, but above all to take part in liturgical celebrations, which the example of the pilgrim Egeria shows well. The high proportion of monasteries in Jerusalem's liturgical stations also reflects the importance of the urban monastery system.

With the way of life in the desert, the Palestinian monks could rely on the Egyptian tradition; this Christian way of life first emerged in Egypt. But the Palestinian monks Chariton the Confessors , then Euthymius von Melitene and Sabas, applied the peculiar Lawren system . Every monastery monk lives more or less solitary in everyday life, but tied to a place of prayer (a chapel in which the hermits meet weekly), which also provides centralized care and services. Comparable with this is the Carthian way of life or the idiorhythmic of Mount Athos in the Occident .

According to the written sources, mainly Kyrillos von Skythopolis and Johannes Moschos , different "cycles" are distinguished. This means monastic traditions that are grouped around one of the three founding figures; the most important of them, Saint Sabas , has remained one of the main points of reference of Byzantine monasticism to this day.

List of monasteries

The following list contains the traditional name of the site, followed by the duration of the place, the name of the discoverer, the date of discovery and finally the reference numbers of the monastery according to the "catalogs" by Siméon Vailhé (1899–1900) and Yizhar Hirschfeld ( 1990). These, especially Hirschfeld, allow the locations in the landscape to be localized using the maps provided. The list is based on the knowledge of the year 2000.

Chariton cycle

1. Lavra of Qalamon (~ 320 - 8th century). Discovered in 1903 by Jean-Louis Féderlin.
2. Lavra of Pharan (~ 320 - 7th century). Discovered by Marti in 1880.
3. Lavra of Elpide, Duqa (~ 325 - 5th century?). Discovered in 1896 by von Riess. Monastery restored today.
4. Old lavra , shuqa or souka (~ 330 - 8th century). Discovered in 1896 by von Riess.
5. Hermitage of Soussakim (certified on 524).
6. Small monastery (9th century). Discovered in 1990 by Yizhar Hirschfeld.
7. Monastery of Denys & Theodosius (9th century). Discovered in 1990 by Yizhar Hirschfeld.

Euthyme cycle

1. Monastery of Theoktiste (421 - 12th century). Discovered by Jean-Louis Féderlin in 1894.
2. Lawren von Marda (~ 426 - 5th – 7th centuries). Discovered by Lagrange in 1894.
3. Kaparbaricha (~ 426 - 7th century). Discovered in 1985 by Yizhar Hirschfeld.
4. Lavra (monastery) by ' Euthyme (428 - 12th century). Visited in 1874 by Guérin, identified in 1880 by Konrad Furrer .
5. (Lavra of) Marinos or Photinos (~ 440 - 7th century). Discovered in 1955 by Virgilio Corbo.
6. Monastery of Louqas (~ 440 - 7th century). Discovered in 1900 by Siméon Vailhé.
7. Tower of Athenaïs , monastery of Johannes Scholastikos (~ 455 - 7th century). Discovered by Konrad Furrer in 1880.
8. Gerasimos- Lavra (~ 455 -? - 12th century). Discovered in 1903 by Jean-Louis Féderlin. Monastery restored today.
9. Markianos Monastery (~ 455 - 7th or 9th century?). Discovered in 1896 by von Riess.
10. Monastery of Saint Peter (459 - 7th century). Discovered in 1934 by Alfons Maria Schneider .
11. Monastery of Martyrios in Ma'aleh Adumim (~ 465 - 7th century). Discovered by van Kasteren in 1890.
12. Monastery of Elias ( id. ). Discovered in 1903 by Jean-Louis Féderlin.
13. Monastery of Eunuques ( id. ). Discovered in 1903 by Jean-Louis Féderlin.
14. Monastery of Gabriel ( id. ). Discovered in 1951 by Virgilio Corbo.

Sabas cycle

1. Theodosios Monastery ("Mar Dosi") (~ 470 - 14th century). Restored monastery.
2. Monastery of Theognios (~ 475 - 7th century). Discovered in 1955 by Virgilio Corbo.
3. Monastery of Eustathe (5th - 6th centuries). Discovered in 1990 by Yizhar Hirschfeld.
4. Lawra des Sabas (shortly before 483). Today Mar Saba Monastery .
5. Kastellion Monastery (492 - 10th century). Discovered by Palmer in 1881.
6. Micron (493 - 6th century). Discovered in 1958 by Virgilio Corbo.
7. New Lavra (~ 455 - 7th century). Discovered in 1985 by Yizhar Hirschfeld.
8. Spelaion Monastery ( Cave Monastery ) (508 - 7th century). Identified in 1880 by Konrad Furrer.
9. Lavra of the Seven Mouths (Heptastomos) (510 - 7th century). Discovered by Delau in 1899.
10. Monastery of Zannos (511 - 7th century). Discovered in 1983 by Yizhar Hirschfeld.
11. Severian's Monastery (~ 515 - 7th century). Discovered in 1990 by Yizhar Hirschfeld.
12. Lavra of Firmin (~ 515 - 7th century). Discovered by Lagrange in 1889.
13. Lavra of the Towers (~ 515 - 7th century). Examined in 1903 by Jean-Louis Féderlin.
14. Lavra of Jeremias (531 - 7th century). Discovered by Palmer in 1881.
15. Lavra von Source (before 553 - 7th century). Discovered in 1990 by Yizhar Hirschfeld.
16. Soubiba der Bessen (before the beginning of the 6th - 7th centuries). Examined by Jean-Louis Féderlin in 1903.

Cycle by Johannes Moschos (identification uncertain)

1. Monastery of Penthoukla (- 7th century). Discovered in 1903 by Jean-Louis Féderlin.
2. Lavra of Peter ( id. ). Discovered in 1903 by Jean-Louis Féderlin.
3. Monastery of Chorembe ( id. ). Examined by Félix-Marie Abel in 1938.
4. Soubiba the Syrians ( id. ). Discovered in 1903 by Jean-Louis Féderlin.
5. Lavra the Eliot ( id. ). Discovered in 1903 by Jean-Louis Féderlin.
6. Phasael Monastery ( id. ). Discovered by Augustinovic in 1950.
7. Monastery of Kopratha ( id. ). Discovered in 1938 by Félix-Marie Abel.
8. Monastery of the Strangers ( id. ). Discovered by von Riess (1896) and Senès (1953).
9. Monastery of Neelkeraba ( id. ). Discovered in 1895 by von Riess.
10. Monastery of Panteleimon ( id. ). Discovered by //
11. Monastery of Saint Sergius ( id. ). Discovered by Jean-Louis Féderlin (1903) and Siméon Vailhé (1900).

Others identified monasteries

1. Choziba Monastery (~ 470 - 12th century). Restored monastery.
2. Lazen Monastery (5th - 7th centuries). Discovered in 1955 by Virgilio Corbo.
3. Monastery of St. John the Baptist (5th - 6th centuries -?). Restored monastery.
4. Monastery of Sapsas (5th - 7th century). Discovered in 1903 by Jean-Louis Féderlin.
5. Monastery of Galgala (before the 6th - 7th century). Discovered by Guérin in 1874.
6. Monastery of Saint Adam (occupied since the 9th century). Discovered by Milik in 1960
7. Herodium Monastery (before the 6th - 7th centuries). Discovered by Zias in 1986.

literature

• Siméon Vailhé : Répertoire alphabétique des monastères de Palestine , in: Revue de l'Orient chrétien 4, 1899, p. 512-542 full text and 5 (1900) p. 19-48. 272–292 full text
• Yizhar Hirschfeld : List of the Byzantine Monasteries in the Judean Desert , in: Christian Archeology in the Holy Land. New Discoveries (Studium Biblicum Franciscanum Collectio maior 36), Jerusalem 1990, pp. 1-89.
• Yizhar Hirschfeld: The Judean desert monasteries in the Byzantine period , New Haven, Yale University Press 1992. ISBN 0-300-04977-3
• Joseph Patrich: Joseph, Palestinian Desert Monasticism: The Monastic Systems of Chariton, Gerasimos and Sabas , in Cristianesimo nella storia 16, 1995, pp. 1-9.
• Joseph Patrich: The Judean Desert Monasticism in the Byzantine Period. The Institutions of Sabas and his Disciples , Yad Izhak Ben Zvi / Israel Exploration Society, Jerusalem 1995.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Joseph Patrich: Sabas, Leader of Palestinian Monastecism. A Comparative Study in Eastern Monasticism, Fourth to Seventh Centuries . Washington, DC, Dumbarton Oaks 1995
2. ↑ Vailhé No. 19; Hirschfeld No. 13
3. ↑ V 94; H 1
4. ↑ V 31; H 2
5. ↑ V 21; H 3
6. ↑ V 122; H sub A
7. ↑ H 56
8. ↑ H 57, 1 '
9. ↑ V 129; H 4
10. ↑ V 72; H 35
11. ↑ V 9; H 5
12. ↑ V 42; H 6
13. ↑ ^{a b} V 81
14. ↑ V 63, H 24
15. ↑ V 50; H 7
16. ↑ V 71 (= V 3?)
17. ↑ V 97; H 8
18. ↑ V 77; H 9; Yitzhak Magen: The Monastery of Martyrius at Ma'ale Adummim. A guide , Jerusalem, Israel Antiquities Authority 1993. ISBN 965-406-013-2
19. ↑ V 32; H 10
20. ↑ V 39; H 11
21. ↑ H 12
22. ↑ V 131; H 14
23. ↑ V 132; H 17
24. ↑ V 40; H 30
25. ↑ V 106; H 16
26. ↑ V 19; H 18
27. ↑ V 88; H 19
28. ↑ V 87, 101; H 22
29. ↑ V 123; H 23; Joseph Patrich: The Sabaite Monastery of the Cave (Spelaion) in the Judean Desert ( Memento of March 17, 2005 in the Internet Archive ), In: Liber Annuus 41 (1991) pp. 429–448 ()
30. ↑ V 54; H 25
31. ↑ V 137; H 26
32. ↑ V 115; H 27
33. ↑ V 43; H 28
34. ↑ V 135; H 29
35. ↑ V 64; H 31
36. ↑ H 32
37. ↑ V 121, 133; H 40
38. ↑ V 92; H 36
39. ↑ V 98; H 37
40. ↑ V 22; H 38
41. ↑ V 120; H 39
42. ↑ H 41
43. ↑ V 95; H 42
44. ↑ V 26; H 2 '
45. ↑ V 38; H 3 '
46. ↑ V 85; H 2 '
47. ↑ V 89; H 51.6 '
48. ↑ V 113 (= V 5?); H 7 '
49. ↑ V 24; H 15
50. ↑ V 69; H 4 '
51. ↑ V 61; H 20
52. ↑ V 111; H 21
53. ↑ H 33
54. ↑ H 34
55. ↑ H 55