The Early Christians at the Baptism Site

The early Christians at the Baptism Site

The Baptism Site was a major Pilgrim Station from the days of John the Baptist. Even after he died, many of his students stayed in the area which was the birthplace of Christianity. Churches were built near the site, monks lived in caves, and pilgrims visited the site.  This tradition continued until around the 14th Century

Lost in time

When the Christian forces were overcome by the Muslim armies it was no longer safe for pilgrims to travel to many areas of the Holy Land.  Bethany was one of these areas.  With the Crusaders gone and the Byzantine Empire weakened, the site was neglected, and the area returned under the control of local tribes. East of the Jordan was no longer a safe place to go, and with no guarantee of safety, pilgrimage to the site became less and less frequent, and then virtually stopped.

When pilgrims stopped coming, the religious communities moved away, and the site was lost, literally,  to the sands of time