The "Monastery of Virgins" in Jerusalem Revisited

This article challenges the identification of a building in the Byzantine complex discovered during B. Mazar's excavations at the foot of the Temple Mount with the "Monastery of Virgins," known in Theodosius the Deacon's description of Jerusalem from the early sixth century CE. This identification is re-examined based on the urban context of the building, an analysis of the architectural structure and archaeological finds, as well as literary, epigraphic, and archaeological evidence regarding early female monasticism in the Holy Land.