In the 13th century an Orthodox monastery was built over remnants of an earlier Byzantine predecessor , but how long it lasted is not known . However , pilgrimage to the site declined and according to one pilgrim the site was in ruins in 1484 . From the 15th to the 19th century there were hardly any visits by pilgrims to the site . A small chapel dedicated to St. Mary of Egypt , a hermit from the Byzantine period , was built during the 19th century and was also destroyed in the 1927 earthquake
1927 earthquake
1927 Jericho earthquake
Al-Maghtas