Jerusalem No. 1
INFORMATION
Font ID: 03236JER
Object Type: Baptismal Font2
Font Century and Period/Style: Early Christian
Church / Chapel Name: Dome of the Rock
Font Location in Church: In the courtyard or esplanade
Church Notes: Malle (1984) places it in Jerusalem, in the "Mosque d'Omar" but, as Winter (1999) points out, this name is erroneously given to the Dome of the Rock on the Haram al-Sharif / Temple Mount. The real Mosque of Omar or Mosque of Afdal 'Ali, built in 1193, is actually in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem (Winter, 1999)
Church Address: Temple Mount (Haram al-Sharif), Jerusalem, Israel
Site Location: Jerusalem, Israel, Middle East
Directions to Site: In the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem.
Font Notes:
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Enlart (1925-1929) refers to R.P. Meistermann's 'Guide de Terre-Sainte', and his identification of the building of the Ascension of Mohammed as the baptistery of Dome of the Rock; the building is octagonal and was originally open on all sides. Enlart (ibid.), after Meistermann, reports an octagonal marble basin nearby. Enlart concurs with Meistermann's opinion. An illustration in Malle (1994) shows a poly-lobulated raised tank with matching shape on the inside, though the bottom on the inside is cut in a square shape. Malle's caption describes it as "cuve baptismale sans doute d'origine byzantine" (Malle, 1994). [NB: Malle (1984) places it in Jerusalem, in the "Mosque d'Omar" but, as Winter (1999) points out, this name is erroneously given to the Dome of the Rock on the Haram al-Sharif / church Mount. The real Mosque of Omar or Mosque of Afdal 'Ali, built in 1193, is actually in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem (Winter, 1999)]
COORDINATES
UTM: 36R 711677 3518004
Latitude & Longitude (Decimal): 31.778, 35.2354
Latitude & Longitude (DMS): 31° 46′ 40.8″ N, 35° 14′ 7.44″ E
MEDIUM AND MEASUREMENTS
Material: stone, marble
Font Shape: multi-lobed, 8 lobes, mounted
Basin Exterior Shape: multi-lobed, eight lobes
REFERENCES
- Enlart, Camille, Les monuments des croisés dans le royaume de Jérusalem: architecture religieuse et civile, Paris: Librarie orientaliste Paul Geuthner, 1925-1928, vol. 1, p. 211-212
- Malle, Louis, Sources du baptême: découvrir les baptistères et les fonts baptismaux, Paris: Éditions de l'atelier, 1994, ill. and caption on p. 5
- Winter, Dave, Israel Handbook: with the Palestinian Authority Areas, 2nd ed., Bath, UK: Footprint, 1999, p. 111 (and p. 334 for the Mosque of Omar)