The Sanctuary in Naim

The sanctuary in Naim

The village of Naim on the northern slope of Jebel Dahi owes its fame to the Gospel: it is remembered only because it is where Jesus resuscitated the widow’s son.

Biblical readings – Resurrection of the widow’s son

Soon afterward he journeyed to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him. As he drew near to the gate of the city, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was with her.

When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” He stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this the bearers halted, and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.

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The Christian tradition

“The city of Naim, where the Lord resuscitated the widow’s son, appears until today at the twelfth (actually the fifth) mile of Mount Tabor, near Endor”. With these words, Eusebius of Caesarea, attests that the sacred memory remained in the 4th century. An anonymous account (which can be attributed to the 5th-6th centuries) informs us of the later events, collected by the Benedictine monk Peter the Deacon (12th century):

“In the house of the widow whose son was resuscitated, there is now a church, and the grave where they wanted to lay him still exists today.” A “beautiful” church still existed in Naim in the 14th century (Fra Nicolò da Pobbibonsi) but from the 16th century onwards, only ruins are mentioned. The simple and modest present-day church was built in 1881 on the remains of the old one. It has two fine paintings from the end of the 19th century.

The old cemetery must have stretched west of the village, on the slopes of the mountain, where various tombs dug out of the rock can be seen. A Roman stone sarcophagus stands against the façade of the church.

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