Pool of Bethesda

The Pool of Bethesda is an ancient cistern in the northeastern quarter of Jerusalem's Old City, adjacent to the Church of Saint Anne, venerated in Christian tradition as the site where Jesus healed a paralyzed man according to the Gospel of John. Archaeological excavations revealed two large rectangular pools in use as early as the 2nd century BCE — first as a water reservoir, later repurposed as a Roman healing bath associated with the cult of Asclepius. Crusader-era church ruins remain visible on the site today. Administered by the White Fathers, the excavation site offers an unusually legible cross-section of Jewish, Roman, Byzantine, and medieval layers in a single quiet courtyard.