Church of the Transfiguration

Church of the Transfiguration
Church of the Transfiguration
	Aerial view of the Church
Religion
Affiliation	Roman Catholicism
District	Northern District
Province	Lower Galilee
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Active
Leadership	Franciscan Order
Year consecrated	June 1924
Location
Location	Mount Tabor
Country	Israel
Architecture
Architect(s)	Antonio Barluzzi
Completed	1924

The "Mount Tabor - Basilica Church", byKarimeh Abbud,circa 1925

TheChurch of the Transfiguration(Hebrew:כנסיית ההשתנות) is aFranciscan churchlocated onMount TaborinIsrael.It is traditionally believed to be the site where theTransfiguration of Jesustook place, an event in theGospelsin whichJesusis transfigured upon an unnamed mountain and speaks withMosesandElijah.^[1]

History[edit]

The current church, part of a Franciscanmonasterycomplex, was completed in 1924. The architect wasAntonio Barluzzi.^[2]It was built on the ruins of an ancient (4th–6th-century)Byzantinechurch and a 12th-century church of theCrusader Kingdomperiod.^[3]There is aGreek Orthodoxchurch located on Mount Tabor as well, dedicated to the same purpose.

Architecture[edit]

The church contains threegrottoesbelonging to the Crusader church. They were described by Jonas Korte, a publisher fromEldena,as "threechapels,with a smallaltar.They are calledtabernacles,and they are said to represent the three huts whichPeterdesired to build, one for his Master (Jesus), the other two for Moses and Elias (Elijah) ".

The Grotto of Christ is in the eastern part of the church. Steps lead down to a lower level containing asanctuaryroofed with a modernvault.

There is a chapel in each of the two towers at the western end of the church. The Chapel of Elijah is located in the south tower; the north tower holds the Chapel of Moses.

In the upper part of the church there is amosaicon a gold ground representing the Transfiguration.^[3]On August 6, which is the "day of the Transfiguration" in some church calendars, the sun strikes a glass plate set into the floor so that the golden mosaic is briefly illuminated.

Barluzzi created a roof built ofalabasterpanels, meant to let in as much light as possible in accordance to the biblical event celebrated here. However, the alabaster roof could not be made watertight and had to be covered over with a common, non-translucent roof.

The Transfiguration[edit]

The Transfiguration of Jesus is an event reported by theSynoptic Gospelsin which Jesus is transfigured upon a mountain (Matthew 17:1–9,Mark 9:2–8,Luke 9:28–36). Jesus becomes radiant, speaks with Moses and Elijah, and is called "Son" byGod.The transfiguration put Jesus above Moses and Elijah, the two preeminent figures ofJudaism.

Several mountains have been identified as the site of the Transfiguration; for example,Mount Hermon.Mount Tabor is closer to the center of Jesus's activities, and therefore the BishopCyril of Jerusalemwrote in the year 348 that he preferred Mount Tabor to Mount Hermon. Thus Mount Tabor was accepted as the site of the transfiguration of Christ.^[1]