St. George Monastery

All the information about the St. George Monastery. The St. George Monastery ("Mar Jeris" in Arabic) clings to the steep slopes that descend into Wadi Qelt. This is the place that monks in Judaean Desert chose as early as the 4th century CE, to take hold of the desert landscapes in dazzling solitude. After the Persian conquest, the site was abandoned and also burned. A worthwhile coffee stop on site: we invite you to a trail that goes from the parking lot to a spectacular view terrace on the other side of the deep ravine of Wadi Qelt. You can reach here all year round. It's worth waiting at the lookout point for the church bell to ring; its sound is soft and gentle, and grows stronger the farther the sound travels down the wadi. It's recommended to use the wait for preparing coffee—of course, as you like it, bitter or sweet—and when you have the cup in your hand, to savor the mesmerizing view surrounding you. Usually hikers are content with the beautiful viewpoint, and along the long road on the way to the monastery, but if you want to get closer to the monastery, you can descend a row of steps to the monastery—make sure to dress modestly. The St. George Monastery is a Greek Orthodox monastery located in the gorge of the River Perat (Nahar Perat), in the Jericho area. The monastery that stands here today was built in the 19th century, but the religious settlement at the site began even in the Byzantine period. First, in the 5th century, the monk John from Thebes in Egypt established a type of monastery called coenobion—a communal monastery—which was a later evolution of a Laura-type monastery, where the reclusive monks met only occasionally. In the 6th century, it was expanded by the monk Georgios (George) of Koziba, and the monastery is named to this day after him. The monastery was destroyed in 614, with the Persian conquest, and was rebuilt only 400 years later, in the Crusader period. In the end, it was destroyed again by the Arabs who ruled the land, until it was restored once more in the 19th century. Today, the monastery is divided into three main levels: The upper level: where an ancient cave is located, upon which a church was built. According to Christian tradition, Elijah the Prophet lived in this cave while he fled from Jezebel; there he was sustained by bread and water brought to him by ravens. In addition, Christians believe that an angel announced in this cave to Joachim, the grandfather of Jesus, that his wife Hannah would give birth to Mary the Virgin. The middle level: where most of the residential buildings are, as well as three churches and a bell tower. The lower level: at this level, built with arches, are the monastery storerooms and the tombs of monks. Around the monastery there are many hermit's caves, and of course—the wonderful lookout point recommended at the beginning of the page.