THE WELL OF JACOB

Description It is a deep well made from solid stone, which has been linked to Jacob for two millennia. It is located within walking distance from the archeological site of Tell Balata - the Palestinian West Bank - of the biblical Sechem. Jews, Samaritans, Christians and Muslims have among their traditions reports of the well of Jacob. The well of Jacob is mentioned in the New Testament (John 4-5-6) where Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman (Saint Fotini, according to Orthodox tradition). The well was probably a place where Christian baptisms were performed. In 384 AD, a church was built over the well, which was probably destroyed during the revolutions of the Samaritans, between 484 and 529 AD. The church was built again during the empire of Justinian and remained intact until the early 9th century. Since then it has been built and torn down several times, until 1927, when an earthquake destroyed the building. Many years later, a prominent Greek Orthodox priest in Nablus, managed to build a new church in the crypt of which the well of Jacob is located. According to the measurements of 1935, the depth of the well is 41 meters.

Silkscreen icon in carved wood with fadeless metallic frame; the icon is decorated with enamel and is locally gilded.