Monastery of Saint John in the Wilderness
The Monastery of Saint John in the Wilderness is a
Significance
The monastery commemorates the "wilderness" in which St. John the Baptist lived as an orphaned child and throughout the years which prepared him for public ministry.[1] According to tradition, John was born some 3 km away in Ein Karem, and Luke tells us that John "grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel".[1][2]
Description
The monastery has a church and is built next to the grotto in which St John is said to have lived, which now functions as a chapel.[1] The monastery also contains the spring known in Arabic as ‘Ain el-Habis, “spring of the hermit", and the tomb of Elizabeth, St John's mother.[1]
History
The Crusaders built here a church and convent.[1]
In the
Franciscans paid the Georgians rent for the building and adjacent garden.[when?][5]
The Georgians made a final attempt to regain the monastery by legal means in 1596.[6]
The current monastery and its church were designed by Italian architect Antonio Barluzzi and were inaugurated in 1922.[1]
References
External links
- At the website of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land. With history, opening times and contact details.
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31°46′04.15″N 35°07′54.99″E / 31.7678194°N 35.1319417°E
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