Travel Guide Bethanie (Al-Maghtas)
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A very important discovery has been made north of the Dead Sea, on the Jordanian banks of the Jordan River: the site where John the Baptist lived and where Jesus was baptized has been located. This site, called Bethany, is clearly mentioned in the Gospel according to St. John: " It was in Bethany, beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing (John 1:28.) Archaeologists had long been eyeing this site, suspecting it to hold treasures. But the area, located on the border between Jordan and the Palestinian Territories (West Bank), was for a long time off-limits. Excavations began in 1996 and continue to this day; they have so far brought to light remains from the Bronze Age to the Umayyad period. There are ruins from the 1st century, a Byzantine monastery, numerous churches and facilities (notably pools) that were used to welcome pilgrims and baptismal candidates. These discoveries prove that the site was occupied at the time of Christ and that pilgrims frequented it for many centuries. This is very good news for the Jordanian authorities who intend to make this site an important pilgrimage site. Churches of different branches of Christianity are springing up like mushrooms in the desolate and arid surroundings of the site. There is already a Lutheran church, a Syrian Orthodox church, an Armenian church, an Orthodox and a Catholic monastery, and a small Catholic church on the banks of the Jordan River.Indeed, the place of baptism has long been located at Qasr el-Yahoud on the other side of the Jordan, although archaeologists have never really found any conclusive evidence there. But many tourists and pilgrims came to the site, and the spin-offs were important for the Israeli tourist economy and for the Palestinian Authority.Today, the site is recognized by archaeologists and theologians and is being developed on the Jordanian side.Pope John Paul II visited Bethany during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in March 2000. On May 10, 2009, Benedict XVI also went there, and then it was Pope Francis' turn to visit on May 25, 2014. On that occasion, he addressed a crowd of Palestinians, Jordanians and refugees from Syria and Iraq, denouncing the atrocities of war.
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