Article,
The Sabaite Monastery of the Cave (Spelaion) in the Judean Desert
Liber Annuus, (1991)
Abstract
The Monastery of the Cave was founded by St. Sabas in 508, in a gorge about 6 km NE of the Great Laura, around a cave occasionally used for seclusion by the holy man. The coenobium was still active in the eighth century. A survey and a limited excavation were carried out at the site by the author. The monastery was built on three levels. The upper level includes enclosure walls with towers, a cistern and some additional structures. The middle level consists of more cisterns and dwelling caves, among them Saba's cave, which was turned into a chapel; below it are a church and a service building. The lower level includes the entrance gate, a garden, a network of paths, and dwelling buildings. Outside the walled structure are additional constructions belonging to the monastery, namely a fence and a boundary tower, water channels and reservoirs, built paths and a kiln.
