Church of St. John, Samaria (Inside)
Here is another view of the Church of St. John, taken from the interior of an open court inside. We see here the domed tomb of John the Baptist, referred to in our notes on the former picture.
When we were there on the 4th day of May, 1894, Moslems were tearing it down in order to build here a mosque. You can see in the above picture some beautiful specimens of the work which entered into the construction of this church. We were, perhaps, among the very last tourists who will be permitted to look upon it, and nothing will be left of the ancient building that once stood in the city of Samaria except the columns of Herod. These also would be taken down by the natives if so much labor were not involved in that work.
Certainly it is high time that the European powers interfered with the vandalism of the modern Turks. An author says “that the Church of St. John is on the whole the most picturesque ruin in all Palestine.” The church, including the porch, is fifty-five yards long and twenty-five yards wide. The architectural monuments of great men who have made their impress on the world, although they last for centuries, are ultimately destroyed, but the work and influence of the men themselves survive.
The words of truth which they spake are immortal. Pinnacles, walls and foundation stones may be removed, but the ideas of truth embodied and illustrated in heroic deeds and in burning words remain to enlighten, to guide and to inspire all generations. When the earth itself shall perish the truth which shone, and which the Lord proclaimed, and which the apostles emphasized, will abide with a brightness beyond the brightness of the sun, and with the permanency of the eternal years of God.
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