Mersa/Mar Saba Monastery

Who is Mar Saba? At a distance of about thirty kilometers southeast of Jerusalem, the Mar Saba Monastery is located. Master Sabas—also known as the Holy Sabas the Hesychast—gave the name to the great and impressive monastery in the Judean Desert. Sabas was born in Cappadocia, in central Turkey, in 439. At age 18 he set out for the Land of Israel until he reached Euthymius, the father of the monastic movement in the Judean Desert. He began his journey during a period of preparation, and afterward he went out for a period of seclusion in the desert, in a cave located on a cliff opposite the monastery. After the death of Euthymius, he settled in a cave in the Kidron Valley. Over time, students came to him, and he became an important figure in all of Orthodox Christianity, and one of the most important monks who worked in the Land of Israel. The history of the Mar Saba Monastery during the life of the Holy Monk Sabas the Holy Sabas the Hesychast founded many monasteries. The most famous of them was formerly called "the Great Lavra," in Greek—"the Great Path/Passage"—which, over the years, became the famous Mar Saba Monastery. The original name of the Greek monastery—Orthodox—is identified with the way of life of hundreds of monks who lived in this monastery: a path that connects the small cells or caves where the monks secluded themselves, and the central building. Near the end of Sabas's life, thousands of monks lived in the monastery. The central building served them on Saturdays and Sundays for prayer and a shared meal. There they also stocked water, food, and raw materials for their work, which ranged between weaving mats and baskets and braiding ropes. During periods when the monks encountered a hostile regime toward Christians, they chose to concentrate in the fortified central building. Although the fortifications did not always succeed in protecting them, monastic life in this monastery almost never ceased for more than 1,500 years, and it continues to exist even today. The monastery continued to operate alongside the Persian invasions, and despite the fact that it was severely damaged. To this day, the monastery houses the skulls of monks whom the Persians slaughtered. The monastery's great restoration is owed to the Crusaders, who built an outer wall and a watchtower in order to protect its inhabitants. Even Saladin, who conquered the Crusaders, kept the monastery and it stood until the 19th century, when Bybers, the Mamluk Sultan of Egypt and Turkey, ordered that it be destroyed. The monastery was rebuilt shortly afterward with donations from the Russian Church, and these are most of the buildings that exist today. The monk Sabas died peacefully in 532 at the age of 94 and was buried in the monastery. After the conquest of the land by Saladin and the Crusaders' retreat from the land, they took the monk Sabas's remains to Venice. Only in 1964 did they return them to Israel, and since then it is possible to see him lying in his monk's robe in a glass coffin in the main church of the monastery. Nowadays, at Mar Saba the beauty of the walled Greek-Orthodox monastery can be seen from a viewing point on the cliff overlooking the Kidron stream. As of 2015, only about 15 monks live in the monastery, disconnected from the world, and provide water and electricity. In order to enter the monastery itself, you must cross the Kidron stream on foot and climb the stairs leading to it—a task that is not easy because of the challenging route. The monks have a fixed daily schedule that begins at midnight and includes prayer for 4 to 5 hours, meals at set times, and a fixed menu. Additional prayers join the night prayers, study and reading in the Scriptures, and work in the monastery such as cleaning, working in the kitchen, or guarding the monastery gate. Note: There is no entry to the monastery on Wednesdays and Fridays, as these are the monks' days of rest. Feast day for the Holy Sabas the day of death of the Holy Sabas became a feast day. According to the Julian calendar on which the Orthodox Church relies even to this day, it falls on December 5, but according to the Gregorian calendar—which we also use—it falls on December 17. And so every year, on December 17, the monks mark the holy day by lighting hundreds of candles in caves where monks once lived. The lighting of the candles takes place at the end of the third day's ceremonies and prayers in his remembrance, and the sight of hundreds of flickering points of light in the darkness is simply mesmerizing. In order to enjoy the sight of the burning candles, it is recommended to arrive on December 17 from after sunset until sunrise. On the day of the feast, there is no entry to the monastery itself, but it is recommended to arrive in the evening hours in order to enjoy the impressive spectacle from the cliff overlooking the monastery and to see the lights all around. The mesmerizing shimmering candlelight at Mar Saba Monastery | Photo: Zehorit Hovav Interesting facts about Mar Saba Monastery There is no entry for women to the monastery from the time it was established to this day. Even Sabas's mother were not allowed to enter when she came to visit him. Entry to the women's tower attached to the main entrance allows women to view the monastery. On temptation and an apple: Similar to the story of Eve in the Garden of Eden, it is forbidden to bring apples into the monastery. Why? Because a juicy apple almost caused Monk Sabas to break his fast, and since then, in order to prevent temptation, apples are forbidden from being brought into the monastery. Over the years, the monastery collected works of art and rare manuscripts, including rare copies of the Bible (Tanakh), the New Testament, Homer's Iliad writings, and letters of messengers from the 7th, 9th, and 12th centuries. During the 1970s, most of the library items were transferred to the Greek-Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem. Directions Travelers go via Highway 1 on the route from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea. About 12 km east of the junction of Mitzpor Mishor Adumim, turn right according to the signs to "Nabi Musa." Continue driving for 12.8 km until you reach the marking for the blue trail, where you should turn right onto a dirt road. Continue driving for 4.7 km, then turn left to the top of a hill, from which a path leads to a viewpoint overlooking the monastery. Waze navigation: Mar Saba Monastery. With any kind of vehicle you can reach the ascent behind which there are several large black pipes and a small plant, where you park. The distance from there to the monastery is about 1 km—20 minutes on foot, of which 10 minutes are uphill. With a 4x4 vehicle you can reach the viewpoint. Note: Infrastructure works at the site created a gravel track (kurkar), which made the drive to the Mar Saba Monastery easier for all types of vehicles. The convenient ascent reaches to within about two kilometers of the viewpoint to the monastery. For a 4X4 route in the Judean Desert: from the Horqania valley to the Cliff of the Crags—includes the viewpoint overlooking the Mar Saba Monastery " And this is what a family trip experience looks like between streams, viewpoints, and cliffs: