Byzantine Monastery and Church Discovered

May 8, 2018

Spectacular remains of a 1,500-year-old Byzantine monastery and church complex have been discovered, prior to an expansion of the city of Beit Shemesh.

Benyamin Storchan, director of the excavations for the Israel Antiquities Authority commented, “We were surprised by the wonderful state of preservation of the ancient remains, and the richness of the finds being uncovered. The remains of the Byzantine period monastery and church are decorated with mosaic floors and imported marble elements. The artifacts found in the large building, which seems to be a monastic compound, may indicate that the site was important and perhaps a center for ancient pilgrims in the Judean Shephelah [lowlands] region,” explained Benyamin Storchan.

“During the excavation, we uncovered the remains of walls built of large worked stone masonry and a number of architectural elements including a marble pillar base decorated with crosses and marble window screens. The marble artifacts were brought from the region of Turkey and further inland by wagon. In one of the rooms we uncovered a beautiful mosaic floor decorated with birds, leaves, and pomegranates. We already know of a number of ancient churches and monasteries in the Judean Shephelah, but this one has been outstandingly preserved.”

Until now, only a small percent of the monastery has been uncovered. It was abandoned in the 7th century AD for unknown reasons.

Since the beginning of the excavation this past summer, over one thousand teenagers from different groups and organizations, mostly schools and pre-military organizations, have participated in the excavation.

Source: Excerpts from an article by Edgar Asher, Ashernet

Photo Credit: Assaf Peretz/IAA