Mar Saba - Mar Saba

The monastery Mar Saba is a Greek Orthodox monastery in the Kidron Valley between Bethlehem and the Dead sea in the Judean desert. Correctly, the shape of a colony of hermit monks is called Laura designated.

background

The Greek Orthodox monastery on a cliff above the Kidron Valley between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea was built in the 5th century. and is considered to be one of the most important permanently inhabited Greek Orthodox monasteries in the Middle East.

history

The Holy Sabas comes from Cappadocia in what was then Greek Minor Asia, when the eighteen-year-old monk went to the Holy Land as the successor of Euthymius the Great, a founder of a movement of ascetic hermit monks. In the year 478 he settled in a cave indicated by an angel on a steep wall above the Kidron Valley, after five years he allowed more hermit monks to settle nearby and the first cave church of St. Nikolaos was built.

When this soon became too small, the much larger main church of the monastery was built under Saint Sabas, which was consecrated to the Annunciation. the church, which still serves as the main church today, was built in 502 AD. consecrated. After St. Sabas died in 532, his bones were found intact and venerated a few years later, the crusaders brought the bones to Rome as relics. After St. Sabas appeared to the Roman Catholic clergy in 1964 and asked for his bones to be returned to the monastery, the bones were returned to the Mar Saba monastery in 1965 and buried in the main church.

Rules for monastic coexistence were drawn up by Saint Saba, the hermit monks spent their lives on the narrow strip of land of the monastery and nourished themselves on water, bread and probably the products of the monastery surroundings. Until the invasion of the Persians in 614 and the Arabs in 638 AD. The monastic society experienced a heyday, up to 5,000 monks are said to have lived here (up to 15,000 monks are said to have lived in various monasteries and hermitages in the entire desert between Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Jericho and the Dead Sea).

In the 8th century John of Damascus lived here, other well-known residents were Theodor der Sabait and Michael the Martyr. Until the arrival of the crusaders, mass was celebrated according to the Old Jerusalem liturgy, then the Byzantine rite was adopted. The order of worship and collection of songs Jerusalemite Typicon from the monastery of St. Sabas became the basis of the order of worship and monastery order of the Orthodox churches and was later further developed in Byzantium. The tradition of the full vigil, the night watch, during which all 150 psalms are sung resp. prayed comes from the monastery, for example.

After the conquest of the Holy Land by the Crusaders, the Mameluks and Ottomans, the Laura of St. Sabas did not experience any further heyday, but remained as the most important monastery in the Judean wilderness. The monastery life could be continued unchanged over the centuries, a continuously bubbling spring on the rocky slope above the Kidron always supplied monks and pilgrims with fresh water. Many pilgrims report miracles of healing; a date palm, the fruits of which were used to help sterile couples, is said to have sprouted again after the bones of St. Sabas were returned in 1965.

The monks in the Laura of St. Sabas live under a strict rule, the services begin at 2–3 in the morning and last 6–7 hours, during Lent even 9–10 hours. On weekdays there is only one meal, only on Saturdays and Sundays two meals are served, during Lent the monks have to be content with uncooked food (xerophagia), due to the rule of the restriction to simple food recommended by St. Sabas, horticulture was never emphasized and olive and lemon trees are the only plants in the monastery area. Because of the legend that St. Sabas was tempted to eat an apple once during Lent and that he resisted this temptation by destroying the apple and vowing not to eat apples while he was alive, the monks eat from Mar Sabas to this day no apples.

Apart from rainwater from cisterns and the divine supply from the spring, the monastery works completely without water supply, in the same way (except for construction work) the use of electricity is dispensed with.

Despite the occasional penetration of poisonous snakes and scorpions from the desert, the monks have always been protected from harm by such poisonous animals, which they attribute to divine protection.

Controversy arose from the publication in 1973 by Morton Smith of a photograph of a letter from Clement of Alexandria referring to the secret Gospel of Mark. The authenticity of this letter is still heavily doubted because the original document is no longer available for examination after it has been transferred to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate.

Similar to how the monasteries on Mount Athos will be Women no admission granted into the Laura of St. Sabas, only the one outside Women's Tower is accessible to women. Thus the legend that the walls of Mar Saba fall when a woman is admitted to the monastery is still preserved.

getting there

By plane

Most travelers are likely to use the Tel Aviv Airport - Ben Gurion arrive.

By train / bus

The region around Bethlehem is not accessible by rail. One way to get here by public transport is to take a minibus from Bethlehem - Ubeidiya, who leads pilgrims to the gate of the monastery complex, otherwise you can take a taxi from Bethlehem to get there.

In the street

There are basically three ways to get to the monastery or in its vicinity:

Of Bethlehem A signposted, paved road leads via Ubeidiya from the north to the monastery. This is the easiest option and it is also offered by taxi drivers in Bethlehem.

From road no. 1 (Jerusalem - Jordan Valley) branches off 2 km north of Almog an 18 km long paved spur road, signposted "Nabi Musa", which leads to the vicinity of the monastery.

A narrow, paved road branches off from road No. 90 on the Dead Sea at a checkpoint of the Israeli army to the Jewish settlement of Mizoke Dragot. The asphalt ends at the settlement. From there the mountain range south of the Kidron Valley (Mar Saba Lookout) can be reached with all-terrain four-wheel drive vehicles on gravel roads. From the Lookout you can take a footpath down into the Kidron Valley - and after crossing the brook you can climb up to the monastery. (Do not leave the vehicle unattended, risk of vehicle being broken into!).

Cars with Israeli (yellow) license plates are allowed to enter the Palestinian Territories - otherwise Israelis would not be allowed to drive from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea. Insurance cover for rental cars only exists if this has been expressly agreed. Since many Israelis move around the Palestinian territories with their cars registered in Israel, there will be virtually no problems if tourists do the same.

On foot

One possibility is to pass by via road 417 Ma'ale Adumim to get near the settlement of Kedar HaYeshana. From the parking lot near the entrance you can hike to the southeast on the red and white marked piste and then to the southwest on the black and white marked route. Along the Kidron River, which drains the untreated wastewater from East Jerusalem and therefore smells bad, you hike on the east side to the bridge at Bir Ibrahim.
A pillar with a Greek - Hebrew - Arabic inscription indicates that you have reached the area of ​​the monastery. A wide path leads on the north side high above the Kidron, which is deeply cut in a picturesque canyon, to the monastery.

The other option is access from the south. Across a paved road leading to Al Nabi Musa from the main road 1Jerusalem - Jericho going off can be driven through the plateau of the Judean desert nearby. The blue and white marked piste reaches the southern slope above the Kidron valley, the Mar Saba lookout, after a distance of almost 5 km. From here you can go down a serpentine footpath into the Kidron Valley and climb up to the monastery on the opposite side.

This solution would offer itself, were it not for the high risk of vehicle breaking into the Judean desert by Bedouins interested in the belongings ... Another option would be a rented motorcycle.

mobility

Locally one moves on foot.

Tourist Attractions

From Mar Saba Lookout on the southern slope of the Kidron valley there is an excellent view of the monastery complex.

In the monastery complex Laura of Agios Sabbas or Mar Saba For centuries only men have been admitted, women among the pilgrims have to stay outside, disappointed.

• The is on a hill opposite the entrance Women's Tower, the Women's tower is the only building accessible to women in Mar Saba Monastery.

There is in the whole monastery Photography ban!

• The whole Monastery complex, which sits enthroned in an eagle's nest just above the precipice above the Kidron Valley, is surrounded by a wall. Access is from the north, where the road from Bethlehen leads in a few bends to the main portal.
• From the entrance you can take a staircase to the right into a forecourt, here it is hexagonal tomb of Saint Sabas with a cupola covered with copper sheet.
• The Main church from the 6th century, here the bones of St. Sabas were buried after the return from Rome. Access to the main church, richly painted with Greek frescoes, is usually only given to visitors for prayer by the monks.
• in the Ossuary with the skulls of thousands of monks one can peek through a window.
• One arrives through a corridor terrace before the Residential wing of the monks, the view here of the green Kidron Valley resembles the view of Greek monasteries. Photographs are allowed here.

activities

• Visit to the monastery (for men) as a goal of a hiking tour. Visits usually from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. or 5 p.m., on public holidays or other occasions the monastery may be closed to visitors.

shop

• No souvenirs, devotional objects or other goods are sold in the monastery.
• the fresh, cool water kept ready for them is a valued service to the visitors.

kitchen

There are no food options on site, food for hikers and, above all, drinking water for the day tour in the Judean Desert must be carried with you.

accommodation

There is no overnight accommodation in the monastery, there may be special regulations for Greek Orthodox pilgrims upon personal consultation.

health

When hiking in the Judean Desert, make sure you have enough drinking water and avoid hot summer days.

trips

literature

• The Laura of Saint Sabas the Sanctified in the Wilderness of Judea, pamphlet issued by the Mar Saba Monastery, engl.

Web links