An ancient tomb traditionally associated with Christ’s midwife is being excavated anew by archaeologists in the hills southwest of Jerusalem, the Israeli antiquities authority announced on Tuesday.
The intricately decorated Jewish burial cave complex dates to around the first century, but it was later associated by local Christians with Salome, the midwife of Jesus, based on the Gospels. According to the Associated Press, a Byzantine chapel was built at the site, which was a place of pilgrimage and veneration for centuries thereafter.
Crosses and inscriptions in Greek and Arabic carved in the cave walls during the Byzantine and Islamic periods indicate that the chapel was dedicated to Salome.