The St. Onuphrius Monastery ( el, Ιερά Μονή του Οσίου Ονουφρίου) is an

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

for women located in the

potter's field A potter's field, paupers' grave or common grave is a place for the burial of unknown, unclaimed or indigent people. "Potter's field" is of Biblical origin, referring to Akeldama (meaning ''field of blood'' in Aramaic), stated to have been pu ...

(''Akeldama'' in

Aramaic The Aramaic languages, short Aramaic ( syc, ܐܪܡܝܐ, Arāmāyā; oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; tmr, אֲרָמִית), are a language family containing many varieties (languages and dialects) that originated in ...

) that the Jewish elders purchased with the

thirty pieces of silver Thirty pieces of silver was the price for which Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus, according to an account in the Gospel of Matthew 26:15 in the New Testament. Before the Last Supper, Judas is said to have gone to the chief priests and agreed to hand ...

returned by

Judas Iscariot Judas Iscariot (; grc-x-biblical, Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης; syc, ܝܗܘܕܐ ܣܟܪܝܘܛܐ; died AD) was a disciple and one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. According to all four canonical gospels, Judas betraye ...

that had been given for betraying

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

. The location is south of the

Old City of Jerusalem The Old City of Jerusalem ( he, הָעִיר הָעַתִּיקָה, translit=ha-ir ha-atiqah; ar, البلدة القديمة, translit=al-Balda al-Qadimah; ) is a walled area in East Jerusalem. The Old City is traditionally divided into ...

and on the southern slope of the

Gehenna The Valley of Hinnom ( he, , lit=Valley of the son of Hinnom, translit=Gēʾ ḇen-Hīnnōm) is a historic valley surrounding Ancient Jerusalem, Ancient Jerusalem from the west and southwest. The valley is also known by the name Gehinnom ( ...

valley, close to the

Kidron Valley The Kidron Valley ( classical transliteration, ''Cedron'', from he, נחל קדרון, ''Naḥal Qidron'', literally Qidron River; also Qidron Valley) is the valley originating slightly northeast of the Old City of Jerusalem, which then separat ...

. Subject to the

Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, el, Πατριαρχεῖον Ἱεροσολύμων, ''Patriarcheîon Hierosolýmōn;'' he, הפטריארכיה היוונית-אורתודוקסית של ירושלים; ar, كنيسة الرو� ...

, it is named after the fourth-century anchorite monk Saint Onuphrius.Святая Земля. Исторический путеводитель по памятным местам Израиля, Египта, Иордании и Ливана / Ред. М. В. Бибиков. — М., 2000. — С. 80—81.

History

The monastery was built in 1892 on the site of an early Christian graveyard, consisting of niches hewn into the rock face; during the fourth century, this is where Saint Onuphrius the Anchorite would sit in prayer. In addition to the cave occupied by Saint Onuphrius, there is the Cave of the Apostles, where the Apostles are said to have hidden during the

Crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagin ...

.''Тимаев Н.'' Иерусалим и Палестина. — Гл. 75. An underground church has existed since the time of

Constantine I Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to Constantine the Great and Christianity, convert to Christiani ...

(306–312), and has been enlarged over the centuries. It has been consecrated to Saint Onuphrius, with the grottoes found in the southern part of the church. From this period, the Orthodox have conserved the custom of dedicating a number of funeral chapels to Saint Onuphrius.Ангел Гробниц или история разрушенной святыни. Библиотека официального сайта Спасо-Преображенского Соловецкого ставропигиального мужского монастыря
The present monastery was built in the nineteenth century. It includes terraces that dominate the floor of the valley. According to a tradition mentioned by J.E. Hanauer, the Arab residents of

Silwan Silwan or Siloam ( ar, سلوان, translit=Silwan; gr, Σιλωὰμ, translit=Siloam; he, כְּפַר הַשִּׁילוֹחַ, translit=''Kfar ha-Shiloaḥ'') is a predominantly Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem, on the outski ...

claimed that the rock-cut sepulchers beneath the monastery contain the remains of Christian hermits executed during the persecutions of

Fatimid The Fatimid Caliphate was an Ismaili Shi'a caliphate extant from the tenth to the twelfth centuries AD. Spanning a large area of North Africa, it ranged from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea in the east. The Fatimids, a dy ...

ruler

Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah Abū ʿAlī Manṣūr (13 August 985 – 13 February 1021), better known by his regnal name al-Ḥākim bi-Amr Allāh ( ar, الحاكم بأمر الله, lit=The Ruler by the Order of God), was the sixth Fatimid caliph and 16th Ismaili ima ...

Gallery

Image:Aceldama IMG 0256.JPG, Main approach Image:Aceldama PA180085.JPG, Entry terrace Image:Akeldama0098gr.jpg, Approach road and garden of the monastery Image:Akeldama p.jpg, Columbarium niches

References

Bibliography

*(In Russian)

Archimandrite The title archimandrite ( gr, ἀρχιμανδρίτης, archimandritēs), used in Eastern Christianity, originally referred to a superior abbot (''hegumenos'', gr, ἡγούμενος, present participle of the verb meaning "to lead") who ...

Léonide (Kavéline), ''La vieille ville de Jérusalem et ses environs'', Indrik, 2008.

Source

*Translated from French, which in turn was {{Authority control Christian monasteries in Jerusalem Greek Orthodox monasteries in the State of Palestine Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Israel Greek Orthodoxy in Israel Nunneries Eastern Orthodox nuns