The Monastery of Aghios Lot at Deir ‘Ain ‘Abata in Jordan

The identification of Deir ‘Ain ‘Abata as Lot’s Sanctuary has not only brought to light the only known church solely dedicated to Lot in Christendom, but has also helped clarify the location of other sites on the Madaba map, such as the city of Zoara and the nearby river Zared. Other sites, such as the Church of Saints Lot and Procopius near Mt Nebo, the Monastery of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem and the Msque at Beni Na’im near Hebron, which also venerate Lot, allude to a cult of Lot in the Dead Sea area. The basilica church was paved with four mosaics, three of which had Greek inscriptions. The first, in the north aisle leading to the cave, was decorated with a geometric design of stepped squares, diamonds and candles. At its eastern end in front of the cave entrance is an inscription four lines long enclosed within a tabula ansata which names Bishop Iakovos, Abbot Sozomenos, and gives the construction date of April 605/607 AD. The cave, which was the focal point of the entire monastic complex, had a long period of occupation suggesting long-standing use as a refuge. The fact that the Christian site had a strong pilgrimage interest led to the conclusion that it was a coenobium type monastery where monks would congregate regularly. The environmental studies conducted on animal bones and plant remains from various excavation areas provided the first scientific evidence regarding the dietary practices of monks and pilgrims, as well as the wider Byzantine community in the Holy Land during the 6th to 7th centuries AD. The fact that meat consumption was high supports the theory that the monastery catered to pilgrims and the sick, since ascetic monks were normally vegetarian. The 691 AD renovations at the Monastery of Aghios Lot provide clear evidence for the peaceful continuity that Christianity enjoyed in the early Umayyad period in Jordan and Palestine, during the early 9th century AD. Arabic inscriptions on the site may also indicate a Muslim interest in Lot, who is described as a prophet in the Koran. Voir aussi notice 7967.