CASA DELLA FORESTA DEL LIBANO. – A large hall, built by Salomon, whose purpose is still debated; some see in it, in fact, a hall for solemn ceremonies, others a stable.
Its location within the complex of the Temple and the royal palace is still a matter of conjecture. Cedar from Lebanon had been used extensively in its construction, whence its name. It measured 100 × 50 × 30 cubits (approximately 55 × 27.50 × 16.50 m). The roof was supported by 45 columns of the same wood, divided into 3 rows of 15 columns each (I Reg. 7:2–5). In the upper part, above the side aisles, there were rooms perhaps intended for the storage of weapons, while in the higher walls of the central nave there were perhaps the windows (I Reg. 10:17; Is. 22:8).
BIBL.: F. Nötscher, Biblische Altertumshunde, Bonn 1940, pp. 244–47. Angelo Penna