Royal Stoa (Jerusalem)
Proposed reconstruction of the Royal Stoa at the Holyland Model of Jerusalem
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| Alternate name | הסטיו המלכותי |
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| Location | Jerusalem |
| Coordinates | 31°46′33.42″N 35°14′10.38″E / 31.7759500°N 35.2362167°E |
| Type | basilica |
| History | |
| Builder | Herod the Great |
| Material | Stone |
| Founded | 1st century BCE |
| Abandoned | 1st century CE |
| Periods | Late Roman Republic, Early Roman Empire |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | none |
| Condition | Unexcavated |
| Public access | Limited |
The Royal Stoa (Hebrew: הסטיו המלכותי, translit. Ha-stav ha-Mal'ḥuti; also known as the Royal Colonnade, Royal Portico, Royal Cloisters, Royal Basilica or Stoa Basileia) was an ancient basilica constructed by Herod the Great during his renovation of the Temple Mount at the end of the 1st century BCE. Probably Herod's most magnificent secular construction, the three-aisled structure was described by Josephus as deserving "to be mentioned better than any other under the sun." A center of public and commercial activity, the Royal Stoa was the likely location of Jesus' Cleansing of the Temple. The Royal Stoa overlooked Jerusalem's residential and commercial quarters, and at its southwestern corner was the place from which a ram's horn was blown to announce the start of holy days.
The Royal Stoa was destroyed by the Roman army during the sack of Jerusalem in 70 CE. Its site on the Temple Mount esplanade is currently inaccessible to archaeologists. However, artifacts from the Stoa have been recovered both from excavations at the foot of the platform and in secondary use in later constructions. This evidence has confirmed details given in the accounts of the historian Josephus, and has also allowed comparison of the Royal Stoa's decoration with that used in other, contemporaneous monumental buildings.
Herod's reconstruction of the Second Temple was one of his principal building projects. Construction began during the last quarter of the 1st century BCE. It was both a monumental architectural feat and an important political achievement. Herod invested a great deal of effort in the expansion of the Temple platform, especially at its southern side where the Temple Mount descends into the Tyropoeon and Kidron valleys. This expansion along the southern edge of the esplanade served as a base upon which the Royal Stoa was erected. The building was basilical in form, but open on one side, which led it to being described as a portico, a stoa or cloisters in various sources. It was likely Herod's most magnificent secular edifice. The historian Josephus praised the Royal Stoa as "more worthy of mention than any other [structure] under the sun", and described the building in detail:
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