An Image of the Holy City in the Holy Land ‘Atlit Castle Chapel

Abstract

Abstract ‘Atlit Castle chapel was the only polygonal church built in the Holy Land in the thirteenth century. Through a study of the archaeological remains, this article examines for the first time the possibility that the chapel was built following the model of the Holy Sepulchre Frankish choir, as part of a deliberate program to present ‘Atlit Castle as a substitute for a visit to Jerusalem. The unified and complex design of the chapel at ‘Atlit, unlike some of the western copies of the Holy Sepulchre, was founded on a deep personal knowledge of Jerusalem, its landscape and its most important shrines. It is argued that the Templars and their architect employed numerous tools to create a particular image of Jerusalem—at that time in Muslim hands and with only limited access to the Franks—in their newly built castle at ‘Atlit. Meticulously designed to serve a religious community, the architecture conveyed a multi-layered message transparent both to passers-by and to the Templars themselves.