Monastery of the Temptation
{{Short description|Greek Orthodox monastery near Jericho}}
{{Infobox religious building
|building_name=Monastery of the Temptation
|native_name=دير القرنطل
|native_name_lang=ar
|image=Monastery of the Temptation (Jeriho).jpg
|caption=The Monastery of the Temptation located on the cliffs overlooking Jericho.
|location=Jericho Governorate, West Bank, Palestine
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|coordinates = {{coord|31|52|29|N|35|25|56|E|region:PS|display=inline,title}}
|grid_position= 1909/1422
|grid_name=Palestine grid
|religious_affiliation=Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem
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The Monastery of the Temptation ({{langx|el|Μοναστήρι του Πειρασμού}}, Monastḗri tou Peirasmoú; {{langx|ar|دير القرنطل}}, Deir al-Qurunṭul; {{langx|he|דיר אל-קרנטל}}) is a Greek Orthodox monastery located in Jericho, Palestine. It was built on the slopes of the Mount of Temptation 350 meters above sea level, situated along a cliff overlooking the city of Jericho and the Jordan Valley. Its most ancient structures date back to the 6th century, having been built above the cave traditionally said to be that where Jesus spent forty days and forty nights fasting and meditating while he was tempted by Satan.
It currently serves as a tourist attraction and its land is under the full jurisdiction of the Palestinian National Authority, while the monastery is owned and managed by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.[http://www.visitpalestine.ps/index.php?lang=en&page=sites.what_to_see.jericho.deir_quruntal Deir Quruntal & the Monastery of Temptation] Visit Palestine.
History
=Hellenistic period=
A fortress built by the Seleucids called "Doq" stood at the summit of the mountain. It was captured by the Hasmoneans and it was here that Simon Maccabaeus was murdered by his son-in-law Ptolemy.
=Byzantine period=
The earliest monastery was constructed by the Byzantines in the 6th century CE above the cave traditionally said to be that where Jesus spent forty days and forty nights fasting and meditating during the temptation of Satan,{{bibleverse||Matt|4:11–1}} about three kilometers northwest of Jericho. The monastery receives its name from the mountain which the early Christians referred to as the "Mount of the Temptation". The Mount of Temptation was identified by Augusta Helena of Constantinople as one of the "holy sites" in her pilgrimage in 326 CE.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/checco/1842466625/ Jericho – Monastery of Temptation (Quarantal Monastery)] Flickr.
=Early Muslim period=
Palestine, including Jericho, was conquered by the Arabs under the Islamic Caliphate of Umar ibn al-Khattab in the 630s.
=Crusader period=
When the Crusaders conquered the area in 1099, they built two churches on the site: one in a cave halfway up the cliff and a second on the summit. They referred to the site as Mons Quarantana (compare with quarante in modern French and quaranta in modern Italian, both meaning forty, the number of days in the Gospel account of Jesus's fast).
=Late Ottoman period=
The land upon which the modern monastery was built was purchased by the Orthodox Church in 1874. In 1895, the monastery was constructed around a crude cave chapel that marks the stone where Jesus sat during his fast.Lee, 2002, p. 346.Jacobs, 1998, pp. 425–426.
The Orthodox Church, along with its Palestinian Orthodox followers purchaser,{{dubious|Sentence up to here makes no sense|date=January 2019}} originally attempted to build a church at the summit, but were unsuccessful; the unfinished walls of that church are located on a slope above the monastery.
= Palestinian Authority =
In 1998, a cable car was built from Jericho's Tell es-Sultan to the level of the monastery by an Austrian-Swiss company as a tourist attraction for the year 2000.[http://www.jericho-cablecar.com/ Jericho cable car]
As of 2002, three Orthodox monks were dwelling in the monastery and were guiding visitors to the site.
See also
References
{{reflist|25em}}
Bibliography
{{refbegin}}
- {{cite book|last1=Conder|first1=C.R.|authorlink1=Claude Reignier Conder|last2=Kitchener|first2=H.H.|authorlink2=Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener|year=1883|url=https://archive.org/details/surveyofwesternp03conduoft|title=The Survey of Western Palestine: Memoirs of the Topography, Orography, Hydrography, and Archaeology|location=London|publisher=Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund|volume=3}} (pp. [https://archive.org/stream/surveyofwesternp03conduoft#page/201/mode/1up 201]-3)
- {{cite book|last=Guérin|first=V.|authorlink=Victor Guérin|title=Description Géographique Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine|url=https://archive.org/details/descriptionsam01gu|volume=2: Samarie, pt. 1|year=1874|publisher= L'Imprimerie Nationale|location=Paris|language=French}} (pp. [https://archive.org/stream/descriptionsam01gu#page/41/mode/1up 41]-5)
- Jacobs, Daniel. Eber, Shirley. (1998) [https://books.google.com/books?id=JXoY2vCZ5AEC&pg=RA5-PA425&dq=Monastery+of+Temptation+Jericho&lr=&sig=ACfU3U2dLnwoa0VNfNvSntoxZqHK3vGQOQ#PRA5-PA426,M1 Israel and the Palestinian Territories] Rough Guides. {{ISBN|1-85828-248-9}}
- Lee, Risha Kim. (2002) [https://books.google.com/books?id=T-nF9A44QeIC&pg=PA346&dq=Monastery+of+Temptation+Jericho&lr=&sig=ACfU3U3z_HJttYYBkhNNP0gd6toPD_KlDA Let's Go 2003 Israel and the Palestinian territories] Let's Go Incorporate. {{ISBN|0-312-30580-X}}
- {{cite book|title= The Churches of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem: A-K (excluding Acre and Jerusalem)| volume =I |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BgQ6AAAAIAAJ| last= Pringle |first= D.|author-link=Denys Pringle |year=1993|isbn=0-521-39036-2 |publisher=Cambridge University Press}} (pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=BgQ6AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA252 252]-[https://books.google.com/books?id=BgQ6AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA258 258])
{{refend}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- [http://www.seetheholyland.net/mount-of-temptation/ Monastery of the Temptation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181113170212/http://www.seetheholyland.net/mount-of-temptation/ |date=2018-11-13 }}, seetheholyland.net
- Survey of Western Palestine, Map 18: [http://www.iaa-archives.org.il/zoom/zoom.aspx?folder_id=93&type_id=6&id=8380 IAA], [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Survey_of_Western_Palestine_1880.18.jpg Wikimedia commons]
{{Religious Sites in the Palestinian Authority|state=expanded}}
{{Jericho Governorate}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Temptation, Monastery of}}
Category:Greek Orthodox monasteries in Palestine
Category:Churches completed in 1895
Category:Christian monasteries in the West Bank
Category:Christian monasteries established in the 19th century
Category:Buildings and structures in Jericho
Category:6th-century religious buildings and structures