Church of the Beheading of John the Baptist
Church of the Beheading of John the Baptist
Its architectural art is the Latin Monastery Church, a Latin Catholic church, which is one of the most important and oldest churches in the city, as it was established in 1880 in Madaba, that city, which is about 30 km from Amman, parallel to the Kings Road. This is over five thousand years old.
Madaba, commonly known as the "City of Mosaics," is the first city a traveler arrives at after traversing a collection of historic locations. Built as a small, basic church on top of Madaba Hill, this Latin Monastery Church—later known as the Church of the Beheading of John the Baptist—was initially made of clay and stones and had a roof made of wood, reeds, and dirt. It eventually evolved into the current church for the care of the Latins in Madaba.
It is the oldest church in which religious rituals are held in Madaba since its establishment until today without interruption. In 1967, the Vatican recognized the historic Catholic Church in Madaba, affiliated with the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, as a shrine to the beheading of Saint John the Baptist and urged visitors and pilgrims to visit this site.
Inside the church and its museum, which is located in rooms with ancient arches, there is the cave of the beheading of St. John the Baptist and another room called the place of vows, then the church bell tower in a place that is considered the highest point in Madaba, where visitors can see a wonderful panorama of the city of Madaba and the surrounding areas.
In the church shrine there are many drawings, plaster images and distinctive sculptures that represent the life of John the Baptist (Prophet Yahya). The church contains an acropolis - a fortress - consisting of ancient vaults and a very old Moabite well that still has water inside it and is descended to by a special staircase.. and several ruins located under the church, which was used in the past as a temple, a school and a house for the priest.
In the hall of the monastery's visitor center, we saw a replica of a Byzantine mosaic floor found in Umm al-Rasas near Madaba. And the prophet - Yahya - John the Baptist ended his life by having his head severed from his body because he rebuked King Herod, the ruler of his country, for marrying (Herodia), the wife of his brother Philip, in an illegitimate marriage, and for the many sins he committed. In those days, King Herod married Herodias, his brother's wife, and Herod feared John.
"You cannot marry your brother's wife because it is illegal for you to do so," John retorted." As a result, Herod put John in jail, which infuriated Herodias. Herod the king and others who sat at his table were thrilled when the daughter of Herodias performed at a dinner held in celebration of King Herod's birthday, which was attended by dignitaries and the elite. "Whatever your heart desires, tell me and I will give it to you," the king said to her, even going so far as to grant her half of his country. He even openly vowed this in front of everyone.
Thus, the girl approached her mother and sought her advice! She also insisted on having a plate of John the Baptist's head! The oath made the king extremely unhappy! Then the monarch demanded that the executioner deliver his head! The daughter then handed his head to her mother once it had been delivered to her.
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