Jerusalem: the area of Porta Nuova (New Gate) as it is today, with its new streets. And the new square at the cross-section with Jaffa Road, and as it was yesterday....
Recently, after the construction of the new tramway in Jerusalem, the remains of a monastery destroyed during the war of 1948 were discovered. It belonged to the Sisters of Reparation, a contemplative order dedicated to charitable works.
Gerald Finkelstein, the Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologist, led the excavations and tells the little known story of this part of the town, which in the late 1800's became known as the "French Quarter" of Jerusalem.
"We found buildings that were on either side of the Gate, and where we are now was the convent of the Sisters of Mary of Reparation. Behind me are buildings with houses and shops for pilgrims, while further towards the Damascus Gate, the Franciscan school for boys."
Finkelstein found that near the monastery there were plenty of souvenir shops for Christian pilgrims. His studies show that, judging by some of what was found during the excavations, not much has changed in the business of souvenirs in the past 60 years: crucifixes, rosaries, medals, crosses of the Holy Land, perfumes. Also found there were many bullets, pieces of cannon and the still-working whistle of a British policeman.... All evidence of life, buried under the rubble of what was destroyed in 1948.
"This whole area is very important for the history of Catholicism in the nineteenth century and the history of Israel, because the Arab conflict of 1948 culminated here. In fact, we are precisely located in what was the point of passage between the Arabs and Jews in '48. The convent was here with other buildings ... and were the only Christian buildings to suffer during the war."
May 1948 was a crucial time for the Sisters of Reparation, particularly since they had to leave the convent, finding shelter in the nearby Latin Patriarchate and later on in the French Hospital, across the street. The history of their monastery, which was built in 1888, is narrated by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre in the monumental work "O Jerusalem" on the days of war. "None of the religious of that era," they say, "had their lives so destroyed as those 29 cloistered nuns who fell into the great misfortune of living in what was probably the most exposed building all Jerusalem."
Now, because of the city's needs, everything has already been covered over, but the important thing, said Finkelstein, who is overseeing a detailed historical account, is that they were considered "archaeological findings" of buildings that date back to 1888. They are an important contribution to the pages of recent history in Jerusalem, including for Christians.
"Unfortunately they found themselves in the wrong place."
