Staff Officer of Archaeology (SOA), Civil Administration of Judea and Samaria

This report is devoted to some of the previously known archaeological and historical data on the site of Deir Sha’ar (Beit Sha’ar), also known as the "Russian Monastery" (Russian Pilgrims’ Residence “Bet-Zakhar”), in the Central Hebron Hills, in the light of the new finds and discoveries made during recent surveys conducted by the author and the archaeologist Haim Shkolnik on behalf of the Staff Officer of Archaeology, Civil Administration of Judea and Samaria (SOA). The previously known features, namely the monumental rock-cut tombs along the remains of the Roman road, were suggested a new, Late Second Temple date (2nd c. BC — 1st c. AD). Additional subterranean features are presented for the first time: a burial cave, possibly hewn already during the Iron Age II (ca. 8th c. BC) with evidence for further use during the Late Second Temple Period, a Jewish ritual bath (miqveh) from the Late Second Temple Period and a unique for the region cave church, hewn by the Russian monk Lazar at the beginning of the 20th c., which's existence was only hinted in the period accounts. The ancient models of holiness in the Holy Land have seemingly inspired the broad reuse of caves (tombs, in particular) by the Russian monks at Deir Sha'ar in the early 20th century. However, the rock-cut tunnels, especially the church, are rooted in the cultic traditions widespread in European Russia and Ukraine, where the practice of monastic underground dwelling developed through the 17th–20th centuries.