Baptism site
Baptism site day Tour
Baptism site Overview
Baptism site Located in:
Jordan on the east bank of Jordan river.
Names:
- Al-Maghtas (المغطس).
- Bethany Beyond the Jordan.
- Yardenit Baptismal Site.
Importance:
It is considered to be the original location of the Baptism of Jesus and the ministry of John the Baptist and has been venerated as such since at least the Byzantine period.
Al-Maghtas includes two principal archaeological areas:
- The remnants of a monastery on a mound known as Jabal Mar-Elias.
- an area close to the river with remains of churches, baptism ponds, and pilgrim and hermit dwellings.
John the Baptist Church:
- location: east of the Jordan River, about 9 kilometers north of the dead sea.
- Contain ruins and foundations of a large number of sandstone piers related to a Byzantine church built at the time of Emperor Anastasius (491-518 AD).
This church was considered the most notable memorial church of St.
Theodosius (A.D 530) wrote:
“5 miles north of the Dead Sea in the place where the Lord was baptized there is a single pillar and on the pillar, an iron cross has been fastened, there too is the church of S. John the Baptist, which the Emperor Anastasius built:
this church is very lofty, being built above large chambers, on account of the Jordan River when it overflows.”
Although the pillar marking the place where the Lord was baptized is not yet discovered.
the archaeological and architectural remains match with what was described by Theodosius.
The marble steps ( The Baptism Site )
Forty years later (A.D 570) Antoninus Martyr of Piacenza said:
“We celebrated Epiphany by the side of them, and wonders take place on that night in the place where the Lord was baptized. There is a mound surrounded with railings, and at the place where the water returned to its bed, ‘marble steps descend into the water,’ the priest descends into the river.”
The marble steps discovered and preserved recently.
it closely matches what was described over 1400 years ago.
The marble steps actually descend eastward and the waters of the arrive at the lowest parts of the marble steps from the southwest when the river overflows.
The Mantle Chapel and The Unique “Baptismal Pool”
A 100 years later Arculfus of France (A.D 670) gave important notes, saying:
“At the edge of the river is a small square church, built, as is said, on the spot where the garments of the Lord were taken care of at the time when He was baptized. This is raised, so as to be uninhabitable, on four stone vaults, standing above the waters which flow below”.
We can see the 2 northern piers while only the foundations of the southern piers were discovered recently at the end of, and symmetrical with, the marble steps.
in the plan, we have a huge cruciform baptismal pool, where pilgrims would descend through the marble steps and be baptized.
Lower Basilica
Test trenches in the western parts of both the northern and southern aisles of the Basilica uncovered marble floors
of various geometrical shapes and colors generally tilting towards the west
with fallen ashlars directly over the southwest part of the marble pavement.
Parts of the southern wall of the “Lower Basilica” could also be seen in those trenches.
The “Lower Basilica” was built at a ground level higher than the surrounding remains,
designed in a different way from both the mantle chapel and John the Baptist Church
mentioned above that was built high above piers to protect them from the floods of the river.
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