Laura of Euthymius
Encyclopedia
Lavra
In Orthodox Christianity and certain other Eastern Christian communities Lavra or Laura originally meant a cluster of cells or caves for hermits, with a church and sometimes a refectory at the center...
in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
founded by Saint Euthymius the Great
Euthymius the Great
Saint Euthymius , often styled the Great, was an Abbot in Palestine.Venerated in both Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches.-Biography:He was born in Melitene in Lesser Armenia...
in 420.
The laura, a cluster of cells for hermits around a church, was located in Adummim
Adummim
Adummim - the red ones, a place apparently on the road between Jericho and Jerusalem, "on the south side of the torrent" Wady Kelt, looking toward Gilgal, mentioned Josh. 15:7; 18:17...
on the road from Jericho
Jericho
Jericho ; is a city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories. It is the capital of the Jericho Governorate and has a population of more than 20,000. Situated well below sea level on an east-west route north of the Dead Sea, Jericho is the lowest permanently...
to Jerusalem and was based on the layout of the Pharan lavra, with small cells. Its church was dedicated by Juvenal, Bishop of Jerusalem
Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem is the head bishop of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, ranking fourth of nine Patriarchs in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Since 2005, the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem has been Theophilos III...
on 7 May 428. Following the death of Euthymius on 20 January 473 the church was converted to a refectory and a new church and ceonobium were built above it. The ceonobium was the area that novitiate monks would receive training prior to admittance to a lavra of the Saba tradition. The new church was consecrated by Martyrius, Patriarch of Jerusalem
Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem is the head bishop of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, ranking fourth of nine Patriarchs in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Since 2005, the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem has been Theophilos III...
, in 482 and the site thereafter became known as the Monastery of St. Euthymius.
The site was abandoned in the 12th century. In the 13th century, it was converted into a travellers' inn, Khan al-Ahmar
Khan Al-Ahmar
Khan al-Ahmar is a Bedouin encampment in the West Bank, between the Israeli settlements Ma'ale Adumim and Kfar Adumim. In 2010, there were 100 Bedouin living there in tents and ramshackle huts....
, a caravanserai
Caravanserai
A caravanserai, or khan, also known as caravansary, caravansera, or caravansara in English was a roadside inn where travelers could rest and recover from the day's journey...
for pilgrims on the route between Jerusalem and Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
via Nabi Musa
Nabi Musa
Nabi Musa is the name of a site in the Judean desert that popular Palestinian folklore associates with Moses. It is also the name of a seven-day long religious festival that was celebrated annually by Palestinian Muslims, beginning on the Friday before Good Friday in the old Orthodox Greek calendar...
. The site is near Mishor Adumim
Mishor Adumim
Mishor Adumim is an industrial park located in the industrial zone of Ma'aleh Adumim, about 10 minutes from Jerusalem, Israel.Since 1998, the park has been managed by the Ma'aleh Adumim Economic Development Company Ltd...
, the industrial zone of Ma'ale Adumim.
The Laura at Euthymius was essential in the advancement and organisation of the sabaite (desert monastic) movement, and was central to the development of the non-Chalcedonian
Chalcedonian Creed
The Confession of Chalcedon , also known as the Doctrine of the Hypostatic Union or the Two-Nature Doctrine, was adopted at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 in Asia Minor. That Council of Chalcedon is one of the first seven Ecumenical Councils accepted by Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, and many...
orthodoxy and miaphysism within Palestinian monasticism and Oriental Orthodoxy
Oriental Orthodoxy
Oriental Orthodoxy is the faith of those Eastern Christian Churches that recognize only three ecumenical councils — the First Council of Nicaea, the First Council of Constantinople and the First Council of Ephesus. They rejected the dogmatic definitions of the Council of Chalcedon...
of the Eastern Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
.