| Jerusalem |
| The Old City |
| Conservation of the Church of St. Mary of the Knights (The German Church) |
| Orderer | Jerusalem Development Authority |
| Duration | February 2009 |
| Implemented by: |
Evgeny Ivanovsky
Arch. Marcus Edelcopp
Aliza Van Zaiden
Shiran Sabag
|
The Church of St. Mary of the Knights (St. Maria Alemannorum) was built in the format of a basilica in 1143 CE by the Order of Teutonic knights. It was erected in a compound where there was also a hospital and hostel (Fig. 1). That compound was first identified by the British survey of Palestine (1867-1869). The site was rehabilitated in 1968 during the renovation of the Jewish Quarter.
The remains of the church are located in the Jewish Quarter, next to the steps that lead from the Western Wall plaza (Fig. 2). The site of the church is one of twenty that have been declared ‘monuments’ and are slated for conservation according to the new master plan for the Old City (10276, in preparation). As part of the plan for the conservation and maintenance of monuments in the Old City, conservation work was begun in February 2009, which involves stabilizing the church’s remains (Figs. 3, 4) and removing any hazards.
The church measures 12 x 20 m and consists of a nave and two aisles. The three areas in the church terminate in the east in three semi-circular apses. The window of the middle apse is wide and low (1.2 x 1.5 m). The windows above the side apses are double (two windows above each of the apses). Three openings are fixed in the church’s western wall: the main entrance is high and broad and the corners of its door jambs are shaped like half-columns. The northern and southern openings are lower and simpler. The northern opening was built on top of a rock-hewn cistern. Four openings were installed in the church’s northern wall and these led to a complex of buildings located to the north. In the southern wall is a wide opening that linked the church’s interior to a complex of buildings situated to the south. Below the apses is a subterranean structure c. 5 m high. Frescoes were preserved in the bottom part of the northern apse.
In June 2006 a physical-engineering survey of the church structure was conducted at the request of the Esh Hatorah Yeshiva, the owner of the property. The survey was performed by engineer Yael Rosenthal and conservator Yevgeny Ivanovski of the Conservation Department of the Israel Antiquities Authority. The survey pointed out the problems in the building and recommended ways to treat them.
The conservation measures include: stabilizing walls, dismantling sections of walls that are leaning and reassembling them, sealing the tops of walls and pointing up stone joints with lime-based bonding material. A visitor’s path will also be prepared in the church together with the conservation work.
To view the figures, click on the figure caption
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