Akeldama (In Aramaic: Field of Blood) is the name of a large area in East Jerusalem bordering the Ben Hinnom Valley and the Kidron Valley, north of the Abu Tor neighborhood. According to Christian tradition, this land was bought with money received by Judas Iscariot for the extradition of Jesus to the Romans. The area has been used since ancient times as a public burial ground mainly for Christian pilgrims who died during their visit to Jerusalem. Today there is a monastery in the area belonging to the Greek church called the monastery of Onophorius.
In the Christian tradition, there are two versions regarding the purchase of the plot of Akeldama. According to the Acts of the Apostles, Judas Iscariot himself bought the plot with the money he received for the extradition of Jesus and died on the spot.
“With the payment he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.”
(Acts 1:18-19).
According to another version, Judah felt great remorse after the crucifixion, so he confessed to the chief priests, threw the money at them, went and hung himself.
“The chief priests picked up the coins and said, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day.”
(Matthew 27:6-8)
Akeldama in Christian Tradition
In ancient Christian traditions burial in this land was considered a great virtue, according to which those buried there are exempt from the tribal law at the end of days, so the bodies in this part turn into bones quicker and without leaving a bad odor. Following these beliefs, in the Middle Ages, it was customary to take dirt from the plot and scatter it in cemeteries in Europe. In 1218 a ship arrived in Israel to take land from Akeldama for the cemeteries of Pisa in Italy.
Many tombs are scattered in the area itself, and in the various caves, there are human bones. Particularly prominent is a public burial structure from the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem (23 by 17.5 meters large) which was used for public burial in the days of the Crusaders. The main arches of the compound stand to this day. It was named “Sharnia” (House of Bones) and into it were thrown the bodies of poor pilgrims who died during their pilgrimage to the Holy City.
On other caves from the period – Samson’s Cave and the Scroll of Fire Monument
Onophorius Monastery
In 1892, a monastery was built by the Greek Church in the Akeldama area. The monastery is named after the monk Onuphrius (Saint Onuphrius). Onoprios began his monastic career in the Egyptian city of Thebes, later retired from the monastery and lived in complete isolation in the Sinai Desert, and later became one of the leaders of the nuns in the Judean Desert in the fourth century. He is said to have worn nothing but leaves that covered his loins and a long beard, and angels and birds were bringing him food. Thanks to his long beard he became the holy patron of the weavers, and he also serves as the patron of the lawyers because before he became a monk he was such.
The area where the monastery sits, on the side of the Ben Hinnom Valley, is one of the most densely populated areas in Jerusalem in burial caves from the Second Temple period. As soon as you enter the convent door, you will notice in the reception room on the right an impressive burial cave decorated with flowers as the nuns take care of the cleanliness and preservation of the place. When you leave the entrance hall you will notice the Greek flag and the church, and the buildings that are very reminiscent of the monasteries and churches in Greece.
Under the Greek flag is the modest church in the monastery, a church built inside a burial cave from the Second Temple period. Notice the impressive iconostasis that turns as usual in churches, heading east – the direction of the rising sun. You will not miss Onoprios in icons (paintings) with the long beard.
The iconostasis partition in the eastern churches separates the church hall, where the congregation is located, from the altar where the priests or monks perform the prayer ceremony. The wall consists of icons, figures of Christian saints.
The View of Akeldama
In the heart of the monastery, compound steps descend to the three most impressive burial caves. Today, inside the burial niches in the (lit) cave, there are monk bones that have lived here over the years. Some say that these are the bones of the monks who were slaughtered by the Persians in 614. Notice the outskirts of the entrance to the cave, where a gable-shaped opening and the roof of the house remind and give (to the dead) a feeling of home.
The upper burial cave, below the nuns’ residence, is filled with niches in several layers, as well as a stone ossuary, a typical coffin for the Second Temple period. If you go up to the roof at the entrance to the monastery, you can view the southern ridge of the Mount of Olives, the Church of Mary Magdalene on the Mount of Olives, and the village of Silwan – a breathtaking view. On the roof is also a large symbol of the Greek Orthodox Church, containing the letters T and O, short for ‘tapos’ – the Holy Sepulcher, which is the order of the nuns to which the monks belong.
How to Get There?
The monastery can be reached by car (or on foot). At the bottom of the Sultan’s Pool and below Mishkenot Sha’ananim, turn with the vehicle at a traffic light in the direction of Mount Zion. Immediately after the turn and more near the traffic light, turn right and go down into the valley. Continue for several hundred meters down the road and just before the junction of the village of Silwan (and the City of David), descend from the road to the right on a short path that ascends to the entrance of the monastery.
More in the region – The Jerusalem Trail: Best Walk in the Holy City
