St. George's Monastery, Al-Khader
Church of Saint George in Al-Khader | |
---|---|
دير وكنيسة القديس جاورجيوس | |
Religion | |
Affiliation | Eastern Christian monasticism |
Location | |
Location | al-Khader, West Bank, Palestine |
Country | State of Palestine |
Palestine grid | 1654/1235 |
Geographic coordinates | 31°42′13″N 35°09′41″E / 31.70361°N 35.16139°E |
The Monastery and Church of Saint George in Al-Khader (
According to local tradition, Saint George was imprisoned in the town of al-Khader, where the current church stands. The chains holding him were relics that were said to hold healing power.[3]
History
Crusader/Ayyubid and Mamluk periods
In the thirteenth century, an anonymous Greek text noted: ‘After
Around 1421/1422 the Church of St. George was mentioned by Western traveler John Poloner as situated on a hill near Bethlehem.[5][6] In 1480 Felix Fabri noted: "At the side of this church there was once a great and fair monastery of Greek monks, but now it has been laid in ruins, and their remains only a little hovel, leaning against the church, wherein two Greek monks dwell."[7]
Ottoman period
Around 1740, Richard Pococke still noted it as a Greek convent,[8] but in 1838, when Edward Robinson passed, the former church had become a mosque.[9][10]
In 1863, Victor Guérin noted "As for the convent or Deir el-Khadher, it is not very considerable and does not seem so old. It is administered by a single religious Greek, assisted by two brothers and a few servants. A small number of narrow cells are reserved for foreigners. A solid, iron-clad door gives access to the interior of the cloister."[11]
During the late 19th century, part of the convent were used for the mentally ill.[12][13]
The modern church was built in 1912 but the remains of the chapel date back to the 16th century. The edifice has an Eastern Orthodox interior, and the dome contains a portrait of Christ Pantocrator.[14]
Modern era
Since the priest in al-Khader was the only Christian inhabitant of the town, Saint George's Monastery attracted al-Khader's
Gallery
See also
- Saint George: Devotions, traditions and prayers
- St George's Church (disambiguation)
- Feast of Saint George (Palestine)
- Saint George (disambiguation)
- Church of Saint George (Tulkarm)
- Dome of Al-Khidr
- Church of Saint George and Mosque of Al-Khadr
References
- ^ "St. George Monastery". enjoybethlehem.com. Retrieved 2022-04-02.
- ^ Procházka-Eisl, Gisela, and Stephan Procházka. “Muslim Sanctuaries in and around Jerusalem Revisited.” Wiener Zeitschrift Für Die Kunde Des Morgenlandes, vol. 95, 2005, pp. 163–94. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23862773. "'Abd al-Gham an-Nabulusi passed it in 1690 and called it Maqam al-Khadir Abi l-'Abbäs. All earlier descriptions agreed that this is the most important al Khadir-sanctuary in the whole of Palestine. It is most famous for curing madness and possession by evil spirits."
- ].
- ^ Pringle, 1993, p. 296
- ^ Poloner, 1894, p. 18
- ^ Conder and Kitchener, 1883, SWP III, p. 26
- ^ Fabri, 1893, p. 203
- ^ Pococke, 1745, p. 44
- ^ Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol. 1, p. 321
- ^ Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol. 2, pp. 324-5
- ^ Guérin, 1869, pp. 310-312
- ^ Socin, 1879, p. 149
- ^ Baldensperger, 1906, pp. 196-197
- ^ El-Khader - Bethlehem Archived 2011-07-24 at the Wayback Machine This Week in Palestine
- ^ St. George's Monastery[permanent dead link] Centre for the Preservation of Culture and History.
Bibliography
- Baldensperger, Philip J. (1906). "The immovable east". Quarterly Statement - Palestine Exploration Fund. 38: 102 190.
- Conder, C.R.; Kitchener, H. H. (1883). The Survey of Western Palestine: Memoirs of the Topography, Orography, Hydrography, and Archaeology. Vol. 3. London: Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
- Fabri, F. (1893). Felix Fabri (circa 1480–1483 A.D.) vol II, part I. Palestine Pilgrims' Text Society.
- Guérin, V. (1869). Description Géographique Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine (in French). Vol. 1: Judee, pt. 3. Paris: L'Imprimerie Nationale.
- Pococke, R. (1745). A description of the East, and some other countries. Vol. 2. London: Printed for the author, by W. Bowyer.
- Poloner, John (1894). John Poloner's description of the Holy Land (ca. A.D. 1421). Palestine Pilgrims' Text Society.
- ISBN 0-521-39036-2.
- Robinson, E.; Smith, E. (1841). Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838. Vol. 1. Boston: Crocker & Brewster.
- Robinson, E.; Smith, E. (1841). Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838. Vol. 2. Boston: Crocker & Brewster.
- Socin, A. (1879). "Alphabetisches Verzeichniss von Ortschaften des Paschalik Jerusalem". Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins. 2: 135–163.
External links
- Survey of Western Palestine, Map 17: IAA, Wikimedia commons