Church of Saint Lazarus, Al-Eizariya

In 1863, the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land gained title to a plot of ground close to the tomb of Lazarus. Other areas were acquired later. Between 1952 and 1953 a modern church dedicated to St. Lazarus and designed by Italian architect Antonio Barluzzi was built on this property. ==Description==

The modern Roman Catholic church stands the eastern part of the remnants of the former Byzantine and Crusader churches. The west wall of the courtyard contains the west facade of the 6th-century basilica, as well as its three doorways. Its interior is decorated at presbyterium with mosaic depicting Mary, Martha and Lazarus, with polished stone and mosaics. The designs for the mosaics of the church were done by Cesare Vagarini. The work itself was carried out by the Monticelli company of Rome, which was also responsible for the mosaic decoration in Barluzzi's churches at Mount Tabor (the Church of the Transfiguration) and the Gethsemane Garden (the Church of All Nations). == Monastery ==

The archaeological excavations uncovered the rest of the foundations of the Convent of Saint Lazarus. The sisters bred sheep, grew fruit and olives. == See also ==