Crusader sites in and around Jerusalem
Jerusalem — the religious heart of the Latin Kingdom — was held by the Franks from its conquest in 1099 to Saladin's recovery of the city in 1187, and again briefly between 1229 and 1244. Inside the walls the Crusaders rebuilt the Holy Sepulchre as the Romanesque rotunda we still see today, established the headquarters of the Templars on the Temple Mount, and converted the al-Aqsa mosque into the royal palace. The Tower of David remained the kingdom's principal urban stronghold.
A ring of fortified estates and manor-castles guarded the approaches. Belmont, on a steep hill above Suba, was the great Hospitaller estate dominating the western approach. Aqua Bella (Ein Hemed) was a beautifully preserved Hospitaller infirmary and farm in a spring-fed glade. Latrun (Toron des Chevaliers) controlled the Judean foothills below Castellum Belvoir. Bethlehem, Hebron, and Lydda all had Crusader-era churches and small garrison structures. The Lordship of Jerusalem was administered as a royal domain rather than a granted fief.
Sites covered (28)
- Aqua BellaTower · Ein Hemed, Israel
- Bait SafafaTower · Beit Safafa, Jerusalem
- Battle of Montgisard (1177)Battle · Near Ramla, Israel
- Belmont Castle (Suba / Tzova)Castle · Tzova, Israel
- Cathedral of St. John, RamlaChurch · Ramla, Israel
- 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 the Holy SepulchreChurch · Christian Quarter, Old City of Jerusalem
- Church of the Nativity (Bethlehem)Church · Church of the Nativity (Bethlehem)
- Crusader Church, Abu GhoshChurch · Abu Ghosh, Israel
- Emmaus NicopolisChurch · Ayalon Valley, near Latrun, Israel
- First Battle of Ramla (1101)Battle · Ramla, Israel
- Hebron — Castle of St AbrahamCastle · Hebron, West Bank
- JerusalemCapital · Old City, Jerusalem
- Jerusalem — Citadel (Tower of David)Walled Town · Tower of David, Jerusalem
- Latrun — Toron des ChevaliersCastle · Latrun, Israel
- Nabi SamwilChurch · Nabi Samwil, north of Jerusalem
- Second Battle of Ramla (1102)Battle · Ramla, Israel
- Siege of Jerusalem (1099)Siege · Jerusalem, Israel
- Siege of Jerusalem (1187)Siege · Jerusalem, Israel
- St. Anne's Church, JerusalemChurch · Near Lion's Gate, Old City of Jerusalem
- Tancred's TowerWalled Town · Old City, Jerusalem (NW corner of city wall)
- Templum Domini (Dome of the Rock)Church · Temple Mount, Old City of Jerusalem
- Templum Salomonis (Templar Headquarters)Church · Temple Mount, Old City of Jerusalem
- Third Battle of Ramla (1105)Battle · Ramla, Israel
- Tomb of the Virgin MaryChurch · Kidron Valley, Mount of Olives, Jerusalem