Martyrius: Lavish Living for Monks

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Four miles east of Jerusalem on a hilltop in the Judean desert on the road to Jericho sits Ma‘ale Adummim, a modern city of over 20 thousand people. In its midst is one of the largest, most important and most elaborate ancient monasteries in the Holy Land—the monastery of the fifth-century monk Martyrius.¹

We excavated the site from 1981 to 1984. The remains of the monastery were well known, but had never been excavated. We uncovered not only the church, refectory, stables and hospice, but some of the most beautiful mosaics ever unearthed in the Holy Land.

Martyrius originally came from Cappadocia in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). Initially, he joined the monastic movement in Egypt. But in the mid-fifth century, he came to Palestine and was accepted at the monastery of the famous monk Euthymius. Finding his cell at Euthymius’s monastery “very narrow and uncomfortable,” Martyrius moved to a nearby cave that eventually became a monastery.

According to the sixth-century monk Cyril of Scythopolis’s Life of Euthymius, Martyrius’s cave was 15 stadia from Euthymius’s monastery, slightly less than 2 miles (3 kilometers). 040In fact, the ruins we excavated are 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) away as the crow flies. But they are the only candidate in the area for Martyrius’s monastery. Moreover, the Arabic name of the ruins is Khirbet (ruins) el-Murassas. Based on the similarity in the names Murassas and Martyrius and on the location, these ruins have long been identified and accepted as the monastery of Martyrius, a conclusion we confirmed with the excavation of an inscription that mentions Paul, a monk who succeeded Martyrius as head (archimandrite) of the monastery.

As Cyril put it, “With God’s help, [Martyrius] established [at his cave] a most famous monastery.” Martyrius later served as priest in the Church of the Anastasis in Jerusalem (the Holy Sepulchre); in 478 he was appointed Patriarch of Jerusalem, and he gave up the monastic life forever. As Patriarch, however, he could still see to the needs of the monastery named after him, and it became one of the principal monastic centers in the region.

We have discovered the cave that Martyrius occupied when he first arrived at the site. This is the only cave ever found within the walls of a monastery. At some point, the cave appears to have been converted into a cistern; still later it was enlarged to serve for burials. The main cemetery was apparently located outside the walls; only the most distinguished persons merited interment within the confines of the monastery. A mosaic floor on top of the cave contains an inscription enclosed in a tabula ansata (a rectangular plaque with a triangle on either side pointing to the rectangle) that reads: “Lord shall be remembered in Thy kingdom, Elpidius, John, and George … and the other priests who rest here … ”

Three principal construction phases can be distinguished at the monastery: In the first, Martyrius constructed a church that now lies under the monastery’s main church. This formed the nucleus of the monastery, around which a few other buildings were constructed.

In the second phase, a defense wall was built around the complex. In the center was a flagstone courtyard with large important buildings enclosing it, including stables near the two gates (in the eastern wall). At this time it was the principal monastery in the Judean desert.

In the third phase, in the mid-sixth century, numerous alterations and improvements were made—including a new church complex, a magnificent refectory, living quarters, service rooms and a complex rain-retrieval system—but the basic plan was retained. A major hospice for pilgrims was added outside the northeast corner of the monastery wall (probably replacing a smaller, less impressive hospice at the same location). Most of the better mosaics were also installed in this period.

The monastery was apparently damaged during the Persian invasion of 614 C.E. In a room near the church, several coins were found in a ceramic jug, the latest of which dates to 612/3 C.E., the third year of the reign of Emperor Heraclius, just a year before the Persian invasion. The monastery was probably abandoned thereafter.

Beginning in the early Arab period (eighth century), the southwestern quadrant was converted into well-irrigated farmland, with an adjacent 042farmhouse—all within the former monastery wall. At first we thought the farm was part of the monastery, but then we found pilfered flooring fragments below the farmland. Next, we discovered a chancel post that had been converted into an irrigation channel. The chancel post once held one side of a chancel screen from a church; the slot where the screen fit into the post became the irrigation channel. This clearly proved that the area had been abandoned. The farmhouse also incorporated marble pieces, chancel posts and other architectural fragments from the monastery. An Umayyad coin from 750 C.E., an Arabic inscription and pottery from the early Arab period all attest to construction of the farm building in the eighth century.

It is difficult to understand the need for a new farm building if the monastery itself was inhabitable at that time. Most probably, the monastery lay largely in ruins.

The monastery wall, originally built in the second phase, once stood between 12 and 15 feet high. Built of large, partially dressed ashlars, the wall is still preserved to a height of 3 to 6 feet and is about 2 feet wide.

The main church complex of the monastery sits adjacent to the eastern wall. Neither the church nor the neighboring chapel (both of which can be identified on the plan opposite by their apses, which abut the eastern wall) were built in line with the general building plan of the rest of the monastery complex. On the monastery plan, these two buildings appear slightly catty-corner. This suggests that the church complex followed lines of construction that antedated the rest of the monastery, including the monastery wall. This proved to be the case. About 1.5 feet below the present 25-yard-long church, we found the remains of an earlier structure, probably the church of Martyrius. This earlier church was built of fine ashlars with beautiful marginal dressings. The walls were covered with colored plaster and the floors with mosaics. In short, the earlier church had not been destroyed but was simply covered over and preserved under the later one. The sanctity of the site of the earlier church required the new church to be built on the same spot.

As in the earlier church, the walls of the later church were covered with colored plaster and its floor was paved with an elaborate but, unfortunately, poorly preserved mosaic. The loveliest part is in the narthex adjacent to the wall that separates this vestibule from the nave. This wall was obviously placed here after the mosaic had been laid, probably in phase three. Whoever built the wall was apparently unconcerned with the design of the mosaic, as the wall cuts across the mosaic panel. A vine trellis of circles emerges from an amphora at the bottom center of the mosaic. An animal occupies each of the circles. Flanking the amphora are gazelles and above them are birds and a 043rabbit eating a bunch of grapes. A band containing medallions depicting birds and flowers encloses the central carpet.

The narthex (and thus the church) was entered through an entrance hall north of the church (another entrance to the narthex from the south was reserved for the priests). Plastered benches lined three walls of the entrance hall.

In the center of the entrance hall’s floor, we found a reddish tombstone inscribed “This is the tomb of Paul, the monk and archimandrite.” Two palm leaves decorate the last line of the inscription, and beneath that is a beautifully incised large cross with equal-sized arms.

The tomb below contained ten skeletons, placed one on top of the other. One was apparently Paul, the head of the monastery.

A trapezoidal-shaped room south of the chapel 045(which itself lies south of the church) was probably the baptistery. In the center of this trapezoidal room was a cistern. An octagonal baptismal font, found in the western part of the monastery, was probably taken from this room.

The most spectacular mosaic in the monastery—simply for its size and state of preservation—is in the refectory, with its dining hall, kitchen and service rooms (see the sidebar “The Refectory: Four-Star Dining”). The dining hall is in the form of a basilica, with two rows of seven columns creating a central hall (nave) and aisles on either side. The columns themselves are long gone, but the bases remain and four of the capitals have been found. Each is in a different style, a common feature in the Byzantine period. The hall is over 85 feet long and nearly 40 feet wide.

The carpet mosaic in the nave of the hall is framed with a design called a guilloche (paired ribbons or lines flowing in interlaced curves). Within the frame is a regular, repeating pattern of circles and four-petaled ellipses formed of an endless, interlacing ribbon.

Between the column bases are 14 rectangular mosaic panels with ornamental lozenges and circles. Each panel contains a different design. The tesserae in these panels are smaller than those in the main mosaic carpet. Glass fragments found in the hall suggest that the windows of the dining hall were fitted with glass panes.

The monks probably assembled in the refectory for study and for religious rites held outside the church, as well as for meals.

Adjacent to the dining hall was a large kitchen with a serving window to the dining hall. An open courtyard in front of the kitchen may have been used for cooking. In the kitchen we found hundreds of items, including enormous storage jars, some embedded in the walls; metal vessels; marble tables; grindstones; platters; plates; cooking pots, one still containing eggshells; and ceramic drinking cups.

Above the kitchen was a second story, perhaps opening onto the dining hall so that the monks dining upstairs could still take part in the events below in the main hall.

The monastery of Martyrius is the only monastery yet discovered to have included a bathhouse, which contained both a caldarium (hot room) and a frigidarium (cold room). A third room probably served as a dressing room (apodyterium). A round niche off one of the rooms may have served as a separate compartment for the archimandrite’s private use.

The remains of rectangular clay duct-pipes that carried the heated air for the bathhouse were found embedded in the walls, The hypocaust (the furnace room) was located adjacent to the bathhouse (on the north).

Not only the bathhouse but the entire monastery complex was served by an elaborate and intricate water-system, with six huge cisterns at its core. The total capacity of these cisterns is estimated to be between 25,000 and 30,000 cubic yards. The water-collecting system is a masterpiece of engineering. In a region with an average rainfall between 6 and 8 inches, these reservoirs could retain runoff from years of heavy rainfall to use in drought years. The whole site is in effect one huge water collection and storage installation: The roofs, the paved courtyards and even the open areas outside the monastery complex were all designed to drain and channel the water into the cisterns. When one cistern 048filled, the overflow was conveyed to another. In at least one cistern, a sluice gate allowed excess water to flow out in case of flooding. Channels with adjustable barriers directed water to various cisterns on the site.

Although there were originally two gates in the eastern wall of the monastery (one on either side of the church), the southern one was blocked, apparently in the final stage of the monastery’s existence. The northern gate had wooden doors, as we know from two iron hinge sockets affixed to the stone threshold with lead. But, in addition, the gateway could be controlled by a huge, circular, rolling stone, over 8 feet in diameter. It sat in a space between the wall enclosing the monastery and a specially built inner wall. The use of such stones is well attested in Palestine tombs from the Herodian and Roman periods. In the Byzantine period, however, rolling stones were also used in ordinary buildings, probably reflecting a deteriorating security situation. The sites where these rolling stones have been found are all on the fringe of the desert, subject to constant raids by Bedouin Saracens. The rolling stone was not intended for regular use but only for emergencies, when marauders threatened to attack.

To the left of the entrance was a room with a stone bench and bed and an installation for washing feet. To the right were two stables, one of which (at the northeast corner of the monastery wall) was extremely large (nearly 60 feet long and half that wide). Along the walls were well-built mangers with iron hooks and rings for tethering the animals. Arches supported a second story to this stable.

The monastery gate led to a paved open square. In the northern and southern walls of the courtyard were additional watering troughs for the animals.

Hordes of pilgrims flocked to the Holy Land in the Byzantine period, eager to visit the sacred places associated with the life of Jesus, as well as other places mentioned in the Old and New Testaments. The stream of pilgrims to the monasteries contradicted the basic concept of monasticism—seclusion and withdrawal from society. Nevertheless, the monasteries welcomed the pilgrims who venerated the monastic life as well as the holy places.

Pilgrims received hospice services gratis, but were expected to make a donation for its upkeep. Built mainly at large monasteries, hospices were usually located outside the monastery complex to avoid disruption in the monks’ daily routine. Although hospices are mentioned in some literary sources dealing with monastic life, 049they are only rarely found in archaeological excavations. The hospice at the monastery of Martyrius is one of the few exceptions.

Because it was located on the main road between Jerusalem and Jericho, the Monastery of Martyrius was an important stopover for the many pilgrims who traveled along this route, and a large hospice was almost always a necessity. The hospice contained facilities that catered to all the pilgrims’ needs: guest rooms, a church (chapel) and stables for pack animals. The hostel rooms are long and narrow. They are paved with white mosaics, usually with a black or red border. Assuming there was only one story, 60 to 70 people could be accommodated in the hospice, while approximately 100 monks lived in the monastery.

Together the hospice and monastery provide a vivid picture of monastic life in the Byzantine period—a mixture of seclusion, meditation and prayer with the hustle and bustle of a hostelry, maintenance of a complex organization, construction and repair of major buildings and preparation of our daily bread.

Four miles east of Jerusalem on a hilltop in the Judean desert on the road to Jericho sits Ma‘ale Adummim, a modern city of over 20 thousand people. In its midst is one of the largest, most important and most elaborate ancient monasteries in the Holy Land—the monastery of the fifth-century monk Martyrius.1 We excavated the site from 1981 to 1984. The remains of the monastery were well known, but had never been excavated. We uncovered not only the church, refectory, stables and hospice, but some of the most beautiful mosaics ever unearthed in the Holy Land. Martyrius originally […]