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Jerusalem and Bethlehem these days have been very busy. Hard to find any quiet moment where the sites are not true invaded by crowds of pilgrims and tourists. So, the shrine of St John in the Wilderness — only on the outskirts of Jerusalem — provided a welcome surprise. I thought I’d share some pictures (click on picture for more detail).

At the heart of the site is the spring of ‘Ain el Habis and a cave, now transformed into a chapel, on the steep slopes of the Sorek valley. Medieval tradition has identified the site as the wilderness of St John the Baptist, undoubtedly due to the proximity to Ein Kerem, and its sites linked to John the Baptist, only three kilometres east.

The child [John] grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.

Luke 1,80 NRSV

A chapel above the cave, and almost clinging to the cliff face, was constructed in 1922 by the Italian architect Barluzzi. The place really reminded of the Franciscan hermitages in central Italy, both in its construction and in its location, with its gorgeous views onto the Sorek Valley, and across from the former Arab village of Sataf, today a natural park and very popular with hikers.

Further uphill, on the same property, a small restored crusader chapel marks the traditional site of the tomb of St Elizabeth, mother of St John the Baptist. This small chapel too, very well kept, is an oasis of silence and prayer.

The site itself is quite easy to reach, but out of the way. It is accessible by road through the moshav Even Sappir, just beyond Hadassah University Hospital (Ein Kerem) for those coming by road. In fairness, it was a bit of an adventure to get there today, since the north-east side of the hill on which the moshav is built is currently undergoing major development, with many roads under construction. At one point, I preferred to park my car and walk the last few hundred meters.