Abstract
~Near the Lions' Gate stands the church on the traditional site attributed to the home of Anne (Hanna) and Joachim (Yehoachim), the parents of the Virgin Mary. The well-preserved building was constructed circa 1140 during the Crusader Period by order of Arda, widow of Baldwin I, the first Crusader king of Jerusalem (reigned 1100 - 1118), over a previous 6th-century Byzantine church. Circa 1192, Saladin converted the church into an Islamic Madrassah. In 1865 the Turkish Sultan Abdulmecid I offered it to the French government and since 1878 it was in the hands of the Catholic 'White Fathers'. The church underwent many restorations. The interior is divided into three naves and a short staircase leads to the Byzantine crypt, which according to one tradition, is the birthplace of the Virgin Mary. Excavations near the church revealed the remains of the Pool of Bethesda.Date
Built circa 1140 on the ruins of a 6th-century Byzantine basilica; in 1192 it was converted to an Islamic madrassah; in 1865 it was handed over to the French; from 1878 on, it is in the hands of the Catholic 'White Fathers'.Type
Architecture and City PlanningIdentifier
oai:oaicat.oclc.org:ASITESPHOTOIG_10313389166Thumbnail: http://media.artstor.net/imgstor/size2/asitesphoto/d0001/sites_photo_r10471674_as_8b_srgb.jpg
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Ranking: 43750