In his novel “The First Well,” Jabra Ibrahim Jabra describes the setting of the hosh, which reflects the lifestyle of people in the particular area it is located. The rehabilitation of Hosh Mar Jiries was part of the many joint efforts conducted between the Beit Jala Municipality and the Centre for Cultural Heritage Preservation. Hosh Mar Jiryes, which is located in Al Kanees Quarter in the historic core of Beit Jala, is one of the oldest residential buildings in the city. It was rehabilitated for adaptive reuse to serve the objectives of cultural heritage and most of all improve the living conditions of citizens in the area. The ownership of Hosh St. George goes back to the families of Abu Rumman, Khamees, Mansour, Ka'bar and Zu'rub. According to the oral history, between the eighteenth and nineteenth century, Hosh St. George was leased to a group of Russian Greek Orthodox monks, who used it as a school for teaching Christianity to the people of the area.
