AbuGoshBenedictineMonasteryOct01202022 01

The Benedictine monastery in Abu Ghosh, officially St Mary of the Resurrection Abbey, () is a monastery run by the

Olivetan The Olivetans, formally known as the Order of Our Lady of Mount Olivet, are a monastic order. They were founded in 1313 and recognised in 1344. They use the Rule of Saint Benedict and are a member of the Benedictine Confederation, where they are ...

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

order in

Abu Ghosh Abu Ghosh (; ) is an Arab-Israeli local council in Israel, located west of Jerusalem on the Tel Aviv–Jerusalem highway. It is situated 610–720 meters above sea level. It takes its current name from the dominant clan inhabiting the town, ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. Its church is built on the foundations of the

Crusader Crusader or Crusaders may refer to: Military * Crusader, a participant in one of the Crusades * Convair NB-36H Crusader, an experimental nuclear-powered bomber * Crusader tank, a British cruiser tank of World War II * Crusaders (guerrilla), a C ...

-period Church of the Resurrection, or Church of our Lord's Resurrection. It was established in the 12th century on top of Roman ruins in the center of

, known by the Crusaders as Fontenoid. Until the 19th century, the Arabs called the village Qaryet al-'Inab. The site was associated by the Crusaders with

Emmaus Emmaus ( ; ; ; ) is a town mentioned in the Gospel of Luke of the New Testament. Luke reports that Jesus appeared, after his death and resurrection, before two of his disciples while they were walking on the road to Emmaus. Although its geograp ...

from the

Gospel of Luke The Gospel of Luke is the third of the New Testament's four canonical Gospels. It tells of the origins, Nativity of Jesus, birth, Ministry of Jesus, ministry, Crucifixion of Jesus, death, Resurrection of Jesus, resurrection, and Ascension of ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

claims ownership of the land as the

French national domain in the Holy Land The French National Domain in the Holy Land is a French territory located in Eastern Jerusalem. This area unites possessions that belonged to the French empire beginning in the 19th century. This domain is managed and administered by the Consula ...

, under the Ottoman capitulations and says this was formalised by the Fischer-Chauvel Agreement of 1948, which has not been ratified by Israel.

History

The late Romanesque/

early Gothic Early Gothic is the term for the first period of Gothic architecture which lasted from about 1120 until about 1200. The early Gothic builders used innovative technologies to resolve the problem of masonry ceilings which were too heavy for the t ...

-style church was built by the

Hospitallers The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there ...

in 1140.Martha Ann Kirk, ''Women of Bible lands: a pilgrimage to compassion and wisdom'', p. 143. It was acquired by the

French government The Government of France (, ), officially the Government of the French Republic (, ), exercises Executive (government), executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister of France, prime minister, who is the head of government, ...

in 1899 and placed under the guardianship of the French

Fathers. Edward Robinson (1838) described it as "obviously from the time of the crusades, and ..more perfectly preserved than any other ancient church in Palestine." Excavations carried out in 1944 confirm that the Crusaders identified the site as the biblical Emmaus. The church is built over an ancient spring. From 1956, the monastery was run by the

Lazarist The Congregation of the Mission (), abbreviated CM and commonly called the Vincentians or Lazarists, is a Catholic society of apostolic life of pontifical right for men founded by Vincent de Paul. It is associated with the Vincentian Family, ...

Fathers. Today a

double monastery A double monastery (also dual monastery or double house) is a monastery combining separate communities of monks and of nuns, joined in one institution to share one church and other facilities. The practice is believed to have started in the East ...

of nuns and priests worship in the church and offer hospitality, commemorating the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

story of the couple on the Jerusalem–Emmaus road. The walls are bearing traces of the Crusader-period frescoes, painted in

Byzantine style Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire, or Eastern Roman Empire, usually dated from 330 AD, when Constantine the Great established a new Roman capital in Byzantium, which became Constantinople, until the fall of the ...

and restored between 1995 and 2001.Colorful Crusader Churches: Visiting the Monastery of the Resurrection
By Jonathan Klawans, 2 August 2023, for Bible History Daily, BiblicalArchaeology Society. Accessed 7 August 2023.

References

External links

*
Video of the History and presentation of the benedictine community in Abu Gosh
with subtitles in English. {{Authority control Abu Ghosh Benedictine

Church buildings in the Kingdom of Jerusalem Church buildings of the Knights Hospitaller Buildings and structures in Abu Ghosh Overseas France France–Israel relations

History

See also

Crusader churches in Palestine

References

External links