The Holy Site
A Holy Carmelite
St. Mary of Jesus Crucified, a Carmelite nun, recognized in this place the one she had seen in a dream some time before. On Easter Monday, 1878, passing near the buried ruins, she said to her sisters: Here is the place where the Lord broke bread ...
A two-hour walk from Jerusalem
The site of Emmaus Nicopolis is about thirty kilometers from Jerusalem ... five or six hours walk from the city. It is, however, one of the "probable" places of the meeting of the risen Jesus with the two disciples: ancient manuscripts indicate indeed "one hundred and sixty stadia", instead of sixty stadia (two hours of walking), which would correspond effectively to at the archaeological site of Nicopolis.
On the other hand, the town of Modiin, from which the Maccabees brothers are born, is six kilometers away. Now, the book which recounts their wars against the Greeks mentions the place of Emmaus: "Judas (Maccabee) himself set out with his brave men to defeat the royal army which was at Emmaus, while his troops were still scattered outside the camp. »(1M 4, 4)
Byzantine Basilicas
Recent excavations have uncovered the remains of two Byzantine basilicas dating back to the fourth century. One of them housed a baptistery that is still intact today. On the other hand, we discovered the ruins of the house of a local bishop.
This site is located at the entrance of a corridor leading to Jerusalem, the current road No. 1, and it is a place of passage for pilgrims arriving by sea, or the interior of the country. As a result, it will also, throughout its history, be the scene of attacks, violence or deadly wars for access to the holy city. The entire history of the conquests of Jerusalem is thus inscribed in the stones of Emmaus, and makes it a place laden with memory.
For more infos about the Holy Site click here.
- Address : Community of the Beatitudes, Post Office Box 638, Ramle 7210601, Israel
- Geographic address : Emmaus-Nicopolis, Latrun junction, next to Canada (Ayalon) Park, Israel