Chapter 11 - Typology of Monastic Sites

Summary

BASED ON THE sources examined and the archaeological finds, it is possible tosuggest a typology of Betä Ǝsraʾel monastic sites,which includes two main types which I have termed Village Monastic Centresand Secluded Monastic Centres, as well as anchoretic dwellings. It is morethan likely that future research will result in the creation of a moredetailed typology.

Village Monastic Centres

These monastic compounds were built inside or on the outskirts of villages.The prox-imity of the yämäloksewoĉĉsəfər (monastery) to the dwellings of the layBetä Ǝsraʾel population allowed for regular contactbetween the monks and the laymen. It is plausi-ble that such close proximitywas often preferred, as it enabled the monks to live a sepa-rated life inpurity, while allowing them to perform their leadership roles by maintainingfrequent contact with the lay community. In such centres, themäsgid was commonly shared by the monks and thelaymen.

The monastic centres of Səmen Mənaṭa andQolq^waloĉĉ, both of which were visited duringthe October 2017 field season, are examples of this type of compound. Inboth cases, the dwellings of the monks were located within a walledcompound, adjacent to the prayer house. In the case of SəmenMənaṭa, there were two prayer houses in the vil-lage (probablydue to its large Betä Ǝsraʾel population). Near each ofthese there was a monastic compound.

It should be noted that both in the case ofQolq^waloĉĉ and in the case of theṢəbra prayer house in Səmen Mənaṭa, therewas an additional compound near the prayer house, in which a priest who wasofficially in charge of the prayer house dwelled. In the case ofQolq^waloĉĉ, this priest received his religioustraining from the monks at the site, and therefore, their presence therepreceded his official role with regards to the prayer house. At theSiq^wala prayer house in Səmen Mənaṭa, apriest was placed in charge of the prayer house after themälokse (monk) who had formerly been in chargeof it passed away, probably sometime in the twentieth century. It thereforeremains to be deter-mined whether such an arrangement—of both amonastic compound and a priestly compound adjacent to a prayerhouse—was common prior to the decline of BetäƎsraʾel monasticism, or was a result of this decline, areflection of the gradual transfer of leadership from the monks to thepriests.