St. Anne’s Church and & Pool of Bethesda

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It was built in the 12th century and it is one of the most beautiful Crusader churches in Israel. In 1192, after the fall of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, Saladin turned the church into the Salahiyye theological school for the study of the Qur’an, which is commemorated in an inscription above the entrance to the church. In the 19th century the compound was given to the French Order of the White Fathers.

Pool of Bethesda

Behind the church are the remains of ancient pools, a Roman temple and churches. The pools have been identified with the Pool of Bethesda mentioned in the New Testament, where Jesus healed a crippled man by speaking to him. During the Roman Period this site was the location of a temple to Asclepius, the Roman god of healing. A church was built over the ruins of the temple and the pool in the 5th century, and today we can see the great arches that supported the floors.

St. Anne’s Church