Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
Adamnan's De Locis Sanctis (Author: Adamnan of Iona)

Chapter/toc 21

CONCERNING THE WELL OF SAMARIA

The holy priest Arculf, traversing the region of Samaria, came to the city of that province called in Hebrew Sichem, by Greek and Latin usage Sicima. It is wont to be called Sichar too, though wrongly. Close
30] to this city he saw a church built outside the wall, which is so shaped as to branch into four parts extending towards the 4 cardinal points of the world, in the likeness of a cross as it were. A plan of it is given below. In the interior, as its centre, facing all of the 4 wings, is the fount of Jacob, which is wont to be called a well too. One day at the sixth hour


p.93

the Saviour, wearied by the toil of the journey, sat by this well; and the Samaritan woman came at the same noonday hour to the well to draw. Now concerning this well, amongst other things, the woman said in answer to the Lord: ‘Lord, thou hast not wherewith to draw, and the
5] well is deep.’ Arculf, who drank of the water of this well told about its depth saying: ‘That well which I saw, has a depth of twice twenty oriai, that is 40 cubits.’ Now an oria or cubit is the measure formed by both arms extended on either side.

Sichem then, which is also Sicima, a priestly city at one time and a
10] city of refuge, is in the tribe of Manasse and the mount of Effraim, where also are buried the bones of Joseph.