The late
Romanesque/
early Gothic-style church was built by the
Hospitallers in 1140. It was acquired by the
French government in 1899 and placed under the guardianship of the French
Benedictine Fathers.
Edward Robinson (1838) described it as "obviously from the time of the crusades, and [...] more perfectly preserved than any other ancient church in Palestine." Excavations carried out in 1944 confirm that the Crusaders identified the site as the biblical Emmaus. The church is built over an ancient spring. From 1956, the monastery was run by the
Lazarist Fathers. Today a
double monastery of nuns and priests worship in the church and offer hospitality, commemorating the
New Testament story of the couple on the Jerusalem–Emmaus road. ==See also==