On my way to Nablus I stopped at the Greek Orthodox Convent at Jacob's Well. You may be familiar with the story of Jacob's Well which is written in the New Testament; it is where Jesus rested on his journey to Sychar and had a conversation with the Samaritan woman. Today, the well is situated within a Greek Orthodox church in the city of Nablus (across the street from Balata refugee camp). In 1979, a fanatical Zionist from a nearby settlement broke into the monastery and hatcheted to death the custodian of the well, Archimandrite Philoumenos (he is pictured above in the mosaic which hangs at the front of the church). My tour guide mentioned that threats to the church, from nearby settlements, continue today and, out of fear, the church keeps its doors locked regularly. Rest in peace Archimandrite Philoumenos.
"...The week before, a group of fanatical Zionists came to the monastery at Jacob's Well, claiming it as a Jewish holy place and demanding that all crosses and icons be removed... The group left with threats, insults and obscenities of the kind which local Christians suffer regularly.
"After a few days, on November 16/29, during a torrential downpour, a group broke into the monastery; [Fr. Philoumenos] had already put on his epitrachelion for Vespers. The piecemeal chopping of the three fingers with which he made the Sign of the Cross showed that he was tortured in an attempt to make him deny his Orthodox Christian Faith. His face was cloven in the form of the Cross. The church and holy things were all defiled. No one was ever arrested. (http://www.allsaintsofamerica.org/martyrs/nmphilou.html)
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