# Dominus Flevit Church

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{{Short description|Catholic church in Jerusalem}}
{{Infobox religious building
| building_name         = Dominus Flevit Church
| image                 = File:Dominus Flevit Church - exterior view.jpg
| image_upright         = 1.2
| caption               = View from the Courtyard
| location              = [Jerusalem](/source/Jerusalem)
| geo                   = 
| religious_affiliation = [Roman Catholic](/source/Roman_Catholic)
| province              = 
| district              = 
| consecration_year     = 
| status                = 
| leadership            = [Franciscan Order](/source/Franciscan_Order)
| website               = 
| architect             = [Antonio Barluzzi](/source/Antonio_Barluzzi)
| architecture_type     = 
| architecture_style    = 
| facade_direction      = 
| year_completed        = 1955
| construction_cost     = 
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}}

'''Dominus Flevit''' ([Latin](/source/Latin_language), "the Lord wept") is a [Roman Catholic](/source/Roman_Catholic) church on the [Mount of Olives](/source/Mount_of_Olives), opposite the walls of the Old City of [Jerusalem](/source/Jerusalem) in [Israel](/source/Israel). During construction of the sanctuary, archaeologists uncovered artifacts dating back to the [Canaan](/source/Canaan)ite period, as well as tombs from the [Second Temple](/source/Second_Temple) and [Byzantine](/source/Byzantine) eras.

==Archaeology==
In 1940, the [Benedictine](/source/Benedictine) Sisters sold part of the property to the Franciscans. The old boundary wall was moved at this time to make the division. In 1953 the Franciscans began construction of another wall. While digging the foundations, workers unearthed ancient tombs. Excavations began at the site, led by [Fr. Bellarmino Bagatti](/source/Bellarmino_Bagatti), [OFM](/source/Order_of_Friars_Minor).

===Tombs; Byzantine monastery===
A Canaanite tomb from the [Late Bronze Age](/source/Timeline_of_the_Palestine_region), as well as a [necropolis](/source/necropolis) used from 136 BC to AD 300 were discovered. The necropolis spanned two separate periods, characterized by differing tomb styles. The earlier [Second Temple period](/source/Second_Temple_period) tombs were of the [kokh](/source/kokhim) type, while the [Byzantine period](/source/Timeline_of_the_Palestine_region) section was composed of tombs with [arcosolium](/source/arcosolium) from the 3rd and 4th centuries AD.

A Byzantine monastery from the 5th century was also discovered. [Mosaic](/source/Mosaic)s from this monastery still remain at the site.

===Byzantine mosaic===
The [Byzantine mosaic](/source/Byzantine_mosaic) floor dates to the beginning of the seventh century CE. The floor is surrounded by ribbons and wave motifs. The centre of the carpet is divided by squares containing round frames. The circles contain fruit, vegetables, flowers and fish. The Byzantine mosaic attest to the importance of agriculture for the people of the period. The motifs reflect the developed and progressive agriculture of Byzantine Palestine including Jerusalem. Some images also contain unique elements, as for instance [luffa](/source/luffa) for the producing of bathing sponges, edible [snake melon](/source/snake_melon)s, and [figs](/source/Common_fig) tied by a blue string. Parts of the Byzantine mosaic can also be seen inside the modern church building, with a limestone slab bearing a large cross in the middle (fig. 2 in the gallery below).<ref>{{cite web |title=Dominus Flevit Church |url=https://madainproject.com/dominus_flevit_church |website=Madain Project |access-date=21 April 2019}}</ref>

==Architecture==
Located on the western slope of the Mount of Olives, the church was designed and constructed between 1953 and 1955 by the Italian architect [Antonio Barluzzi](/source/Antonio_Barluzzi) and is held in trust by the [Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land](/source/Franciscan_Custody_of_the_Holy_Land). Dominus Flevit, which translates from Latin as "The Lord Wept", was fashioned in the shape of a teardrop to symbolize the tears of [Christ](/source/Jesus_Christ).<ref name=Lipnick>[https://blog.israelbiblicalstudies.com/holy-land-studies/dominus-flevit/ Lipnick, Jonathan. "The Spot From Which The Lord Wept", Israel Institute of Biblical Studies, April 28, 2018]</ref>

==Picture gallery==
<gallery>
File:Dominus Flevit (Side view).JPG|Side view of Dominus Flevit Church
File:Jerusalem Dominus flevit BW 3.JPG|Fig 2. Mosaic and cross on the floor
File:Jerusalem Dominus flevit BW 4.JPG|View from west
File:Dominus Flevit Church3027.JPG|Ossuary
File:Mosaic Art at Dominus Flevit.jpg|Mosaic Art on altar
File:Enrique Simonet - Flevit super illam 1892.jpg|"Flevit super illam" (He wept over it) by [Enrique Simonet](/source/Enrique_Simonet), 1892
File:DominusFlevit1992.jpg|View from window towards the Old City
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category-inline}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130126034550/http://www.christusrex.org/www1/ofm/san/TSflevitmn.html Dominus Flevit:] history of the site
* [http://www.jerusalemshots.com/Albom19-en.html Dominus Flevit] &mdash; Jerusalem Photos Portal
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130615234812/http://www.christusrex.org/www1/ofm/cust/TSmain.html The Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land]
* [http://www.jesusinjerusalem.com/DominusFlevit.htm VR Panoramic Images of Dominus Flevit Church] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219083806/http://www.jesusinjerusalem.com/DominusFlevit.htm |date=2012-02-19 }}
*[https://www.manar-al-athar.ox.ac.uk/pages/search.php?search=%21collection848 Photos of the Dominus Flevit Church] at the [Manar al-Athar](/source/Manar_al-Athar) photo archive

== Further reading ==
* Bellarmino Bagatti and Józef Milik, 1968. ''Gli scavi del Dominus Flevit'' An account of the excavations, 1953–55.

{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|31|46|41|N|35|14|30|E|display=title|region:IL-JM_type:landmark_source:dewiki}}

Category:Roman Catholic church buildings in Jerusalem
Category:Franciscan church buildings in Palestine
Category:Mount of Olives
Category:Roman Catholic churches completed in 1955
Category:20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings
Category:1955 establishments in Jordan

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Dominus Flevit Church](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominus_Flevit_Church) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominus_Flevit_Church?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.