The church was originally built in the twelfth century and was dedicated to Anne (Anna), the mother of Mary, who according to tradition had lived here with her husband Joachim. Tradition recorded that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was born here. The church is built in the Romanesque style, and is a particularly beautiful and authentic example of this style. The structure is heavy and crude, shaped as a basilica - a long hall with two side aisles with a transverse hall (transept). The entire complex lies on the site of a water reservoir from the Second Temple period - the Pool of Bethesda or the Sheep Pool. This pool is mentioned in one of the stories of the miracles performed by Jesus: "Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Hebrew called Beth-esda... where lay a multitude of invalids, blind, lame, paralyzed... and they waited for the waters to be moved" (John 5:2-3).(check reference) According to the story, Jesus healed a paralyzed man by the power of faith and not by the power of the water. In the Byzantine period, a large church was built on the wall dividing the reservoir's two pools. |
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