The creation of new settlements was accompanied in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, as in Europe, by the parallel establishment of a parochial framework, with the parish churches serving often as nuclei for the new settlements. The search for such parochial establishments is not easy, as the documentary evidence for the existence of rural churches is very scarce, and the publication of the only comprehensive archeological study of Frankish churches, that of D. Pringle, is not yet completed. Nevertheless, from the scant sources and the archaeological data which are available, it is possible to establish that the number of rural churches constructed by the Franks was much greater than would appear from an examination of previous studies. These rural churches served both the Franks who lived in the larger villages and those who lived in isolated estates in the vicinity of the villages. From other data it can be assumed that some of the churches were used also by the local Christian population.

Castellum Sancti Egidii

The Frankish village of Sinjil (Castellum Sancti Egidii, grid reference 175/160) is mentioned both in Latin and Arabic sources. In some of the Latin sources Sinjil is described as a “castrum” or “Castellum Sancti Egidii.” Others refer to it only as a “casale” but it should be remembered that other Frankish fortified settlements, such as Casale Imbert, and Manueth are also referred to as “casale” in some of the Latin legal documents and as “castra” in others.