Church of the Flagellation The Lithostrotos and Pilate’s house or pretorium where the Lord was judged were neglected in the fourth century (according to the anonymous pilgrim from Bordeaux and Cyril of Jerusalem). In the fifth century a church was built here and we find it a little later bearing the name of Saint Sophia (wisdom in Greek) because the First of the friends of wisdom there heard his condemnation (Sophron of Jerusalem, early 7th century). Nothing is known of this church later on; the memory of the Lithostrotos was associated with Mount Zion for a time and then (at the end of the 12th century) placed near the Antonia fortress, which overlooked the Temple in the northern part of the city in the time of Christ. The church of the Flagellation was originally built by the Crusaders in the 12th century and then was abandoned for many centuries. In 1838 it was acquired by the Franciscans and re-opened for worship, thanks to the generous gift of Maximilian of Bavaria, as is noted on a stone in its facade. The architect A. Barluzzi restored it in 1929, retaining the medievel style. Of particular note are the stained glass windows by A. Cambellotti depicting Pilate’s judgement, the flagellation of Jesus and the liberation of Barnabas. A painting (by M. Barberis) on a side wall commemorates Saint Paul’s imprisonment in the Antonia fortress. The Sanctuary of the Condemnation was rebuilt in 1904 by Brother Wendelin Hinterkeuser on the ruins of a medievel church that had fortuitously been discovered a few years earlier. The name of the ancient church is unknown. The new one received this name because of its floor, paved with large stones, that continues beneath the neighboring Ecco Homo sanctuary, then considered part of the Lithostrotos where Pilate sat in judgement over Jesus and from where Jesus set out, carrying the cross. Ross Earl Hoffman
Posted on: Wed, 29 Oct 2014 17:27:52 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015