Crusader churches and cathedrals of the Holy Land
Wherever the Crusaders established themselves they built churches. Some were grand cathedrals of the Latin episcopal sees (Jerusalem, Acre, Caesarea, Tyre, Sidon, Nazareth, Bethlehem); others were parish churches in the new fortified towns; others were Hospitaller infirmary chapels, monastic foundations on Mount Carmel and Mount Tabor, or pilgrimage churches at the great Biblical sites. The architectural style was the Romanesque of contemporary France adapted to local stone, local light, and the strict requirements of liturgical orientation.
This page catalogues every Crusader-era church in the atlas — from the Holy Sepulchre rebuilt in its current Romanesque-rotunda form in 1149 down to small parish chapels in Frankish towns. Many survive as active churches today, some serving Eastern Christian rites (Greek Orthodox, Armenian, Maronite) that have inherited the Crusader buildings; others survive as Israeli or Jordanian national-park ruins. They are some of the most evocative Crusader monuments anywhere, often preserving inscriptions, carved capitals, and frescoes that have not been seen elsewhere.
Sites covered (29)
- An-Nasr Mosque (Nablus Crusader Church)Church · Old City of Nablus
- Basilica of the Annunciation, NazarethChurch · Old City of Nazareth, Israel
- Cathedral of Our Lady of TortosaChurch · Tartus, Syrian coast
- Cathedral of Saint John, SebastiaChurch · Sebastia, north of Nablus
- Cathedral of St. John, RamlaChurch · Ramla, Israel
- Cathedral of the Holy Cross (Tyre)Church · Cathedral of the Holy Cross (Tyre)
- Cathedral of the Holy Cross, AcreChurch · Old City of Acre, near El-Jazzar Mosque
- Chapel of the Ascension (Jerusalem)Church · Chapel of the Ascension (Jerusalem)
- Church of Saint George (Lod / Lydda)Church · Church of Saint George (Lod / Lydda)
- Church of Saint John the Baptist, Ein KaremChurch · Ein Karem, west Jerusalem
- Church of Saint Mary of the Germans (Jerusalem)Church · Church of Saint Mary of the Germans (Jerusalem)
- Church of St. Anne (Khirbet Sandhanna)Church · Beit Guvrin-Maresha National Park, Israel
- Church of St. George, Deir al-AsadChurch · Deir al-Asad / Bi'ina, Western Galilee
- Church of St. Mary (Kerak Castle)Church · Church of St. Mary (Kerak Castle)
- Church of the Holy SepulchreChurch · Christian Quarter, Old City of Jerusalem
- Church of the Nativity (Bethlehem)Church · Church of the Nativity (Bethlehem)
- Crusader Church of Caesarea MaritimaChurch · Crusader Church of Caesarea Maritima
- Crusader Church, Abu GhoshChurch · Abu Ghosh, Israel
- Emmaus NicopolisChurch · Ayalon Valley, near Latrun, Israel
- Great Mosque of Gaza (Crusader Church)Church · Great Mosque of Gaza (Crusader Church)
- Great Mosque of Nablus (Crusader Church)Church · Old City of Nablus
- Hospitaller Church of Saint John, AcreChurch · Old City of Acre, beneath the Citadel
- Nabi SamwilChurch · Nabi Samwil, north of Jerusalem
- Our Lady of the Wind / Saydet el-Rih (Anfeh)Church · Our Lady of the Wind / Saydet el-Rih (Anfeh)
- St. Anne's Church, JerusalemChurch · Near Lion's Gate, Old City of Jerusalem
- St. John's Cathedral (Byblos)Church · St. John's Cathedral (Byblos)
- Templum Domini (Dome of the Rock)Church · Temple Mount, Old City of Jerusalem
- Templum Salomonis (Templar Headquarters)Church · Temple Mount, Old City of Jerusalem
- Tomb of the Virgin MaryChurch · Kidron Valley, Mount of Olives, Jerusalem