The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1911-12-02
Office
is Discovered Under Ground
in the City of Jeru-
salem.

great interest to the Christian world
has been made on the top Of the
Mount of Olives.
|. Under. the auspices of the Greek
Catholic order of monks called the
white Fathers" excavations were
begun recently in the grounds Of the
institution known az thc Carmeiite
Convent OF "Pater Noster." The
convent and the beautiful little chapel
attached were built about thirty-six
years ago by and at the expense OF
the late Aurelia de BossI, Princess de
la Tour d'Auvergne, Duchesse de
Bouillon, and is now occupied by
French nuns of the Carmelite order.
During her lifetime the late Prin-
cess turned the convent and it's
grounds over to French government.
The institution is consequently con-
sidered as French property now,
France, in turn, placed 1t under the
guardianship of the white Fathers"
allowing them free hand in its man
agement both spiritual and temporal
and in the carrying on OF explanatory
researches or excavations whenever
the occasion arose or an opportunity
offered.
The White Fathers" have long held
to the belief that the grounds must
cover the site by some buried ancient
church or edifce in accordance with
long-preserved records in their pos
session, and, acting on this belief,
excavations were commenced in the
western section OF the extensive
grounds.
The excavators were not long in
coming upon the broken walls Of
ruined church, and, judging from the
extent OF the walls unearthed, this
church must have enjoyed quite lib
eral dimensions. 1t measures some
$50 feet in length from entrance to
apse, the latter facing eastwards and
its average width at the nave is about
fifty feet and at the transepts, eighty
feet.
The main floor OF the nave still re-
mains unearthed, but those of the
transepts, the extent OF whose areas
measures some fifteen feet square
each, have been exposed to view. They
consist of beautifully laid mosaics in
a perfect state of preservation. In
the middle of the floor of the south
transept is sunk baptismal INNER
sion pool, some two feet in depth
and four feet square, with nicely
rounded and finished rim, all wonder
fully preserved. The plasterIng on
the sides of the walls enclosing this
transept shows traces of a large
painting.
On the floor Of the north transept
were found several shafts of columns
scattered here and there among the
debris, and at the junction Of the
western corner of the transept with
the nave were uncovered two or three
tombs containing human bones, on
the tombstone OF one OF which Is in
scrIDed IN creek the name "Theo-
! uorus,y
rurlner up the nave, northeast OF
me soutn IransepL anoLner Dit OF
>uosiaC uOorInS was unearLhed, DIS
closing that Inere were TWO separate
anu ulsLlnCt uoors OF dInerent mosaic
design, the upper lying some two
IeeL Six inches ABOVE the OLner, mak-
ing It clear tnat the church's history
covers two separate periods, namely.
me hrst period following its original
construction by Queen Helena, mother
of Constantine the Creator there
is now no doubt that this is one or
the first three Christian churches
built in the Holy Land by Queen Hell
ena some time during the early part
OF the fourth century;-and the sec
ond period dating from the restora-
ton by the Crusaders of the twelfth
century of the previously destroyed
original church Of Queen Helena,
the destruction taking place prob
ably during the early part of the
sixth century at the hands OF the
Persian king, Chosroes H., or pos
sibly some other Oriental vandals.
The latter view is supported by the
peculiar construction in a semi-cir-
cular fashion of the wall of the apse.
which is characteristic OF the Cru
sader type OF church architecture.
The church hes been given the
name OF "Eleona," IN reference per-