Taybeh Parish
Taybeh, a Palestinian village, located in the center of the West Bank, is 30 km from Jerusalem. From its elevation (920m) and location between biblical Samaria and Judea, it overlooks the desert wilderness, the Jordan Valley, Jericho, and the Dead Sea. Taybeh is one of the most ancient places in Palestine, dating back to the Bronze Age, and is mentioned in the Old Testament as Ofra. It is Ephraim, the village in which Jesus chose to stay with His disciples before his Passion. The original Church of St. George, built by the Byzantines in the 5th century and rebuilt by the Crusaders in the 12th century, lies in ruins on the eastern outskirts of Taybeh. Surrounded by Muslim villages, Israeli settlements, and military roadblocks, Taybeh’s 1,300 inhabitants are intensely proud of their Christian heritage, their folklore group, and their Choir. Today, Taybeh is the only Christian village in Palestine with a 100% Christian population.
Infrastructures of the Latin Patriarchate
In 1869 the Latin Patriarchate established a second school in Taybeh. This school was divided into two parts, one for boys (25) and one for girls (15). In 1966 the “two schools” became co-educational. It became a secondary school in 1978, facilitating the enrollment of many students from the neighboring villages. The school has two-floor levels, a yard, and playgrounds for basketball, volleyball, and handball. It comprises all the stages of learning, from kindergarten through secondary, offering both literary and scientific streams. Since 1978, 20 groups have graduated. The school has a total of 31 teachers, both male and female, while two religious sisters are responsible for religious education. It has a modern library that contains at least fifteen hundred books of both English and Arabic languages.
