Montjoie

Title

Montjoie

Also Known As

Mons Gaudii, Nebu Samwil, St. Samuel's

Dates

Founded 1130s/40s; dissolved 1244

Dedication

Samuel

Affiliation

Prémontré

Medieval Diocese

Jerusalem

History

The abbey of Montjoie was established during the reign of Fulk of Jerusalem (1131-1143), and the king gave various properties to the new community. The ruling family continued to support Montjoie over the course of the 12th century. There had previously been an Orthodox monastery on the site, which was traditionally believed to be the burial location of the Biblical prophet Samuel.

Montjoie was taken by Saladin's forces in 1187. The monastery was then abandoned until 1229, when the Premonstratensians returned. The abbey was finally suppressed in 1244. The abbey's church was built by 1158.

During excavations in 1912, its foundations were uncovered. A mosque now stands on the site.

Heads of Community

Abbots

Theoderic, fl. 1145
Radulf, fl. 1156
Hellinus, 1216-1218
Giles I, fl. 1220
Joannes I, fl. 1239
S.?, fl. 1244
Johannes II, 1254-1263
Giles II de Marle, fl. 1291

Status

Abbey

Bibliography

Briks, Piotr Mieszko. “Christian Worship at the Tomb of the Prophet Samuel on Mount Joy.” The Biblical Annals 68, no. 3 (2021): 519–46.

Mayer, Hans Eberhard. “Sankt Samuel auf dem Freudenberge und sein besitz nach einem unbekannten Diplom König Balduins V.” Quellen und Forschungen aus italienischen Archiven und Bibliotheken 44 (1964): 35–71. https://www.mgh-bibliothek.de/dokumente/z/zsn2a032247.pdf.

Savignac, R., and F.M. Abel. “Neby Samouil.” Revue Biblique (1892-1940) 9, no. 2 (1912): 267–79. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44101328.

Image Credit

View of Nabi Samwil, 2012. Wikimedia.

Files

Citation

“Montjoie,” A Premonstratensian Atlas, accessed October 16, 2026, https://yvonneseale.org/atlas/items/show/703.

Geolocation

Item Relations

This Item DependentOn Item: Prémontré