GUIDE TO THE HOLY LAND
The modern Jericho road links Jerusalem with Jericho and follows the same route it did during the time of the Saviour . One of the most famous Gospel events is the meeting of the Lord with Zacchaeus , happened in Jericho , Zacchaeus was an extremely rich man , the head of tax collectors for the Romans . He was a sinner but driven by an inner desire for spiritual revival , he longed to see Christ , and therefore , climbed a tree knowing it was his best chance . The Lord passing by knew the turmoil in Zacchaeus soul and so said to him “ Zacchaeus ! Come down quickly , for today I must be at your house ”. The tree of Zacchaeus , which he climbed , can be seen in the courtyard of the Greek Church dedicated to the prophet Elisha .
GALILEE
Galilee is the most blooming and beautiful part of the Holy Land . The Lord gathered his followers , taught them and performed most of his miracles here . Apart from Judas Iscariot , who was from Judea , all the other apostles were Galileans .
Nazareth is an Israeli city , and one of the most significant sacred places in Christianity . It is in Nazareth that Archangel Gabriel brought the good news to Virgin Mary , and Saviour lived here for 30 years before His entry into open service . Now in the place of the Saviour ’ s childhood home , stands the Catholic Church of the Annunciation , and on the water spring , where the Virgin Mary drew water from , there is the Orthodox Church of the Archangel Gabriel .
The Cana of Galilee is the place where the Lord performed the first miracle , turning water into wine , and later healed the son of the courtier , saying to him : “ Go , your son is healthy ” ( John 4 : 46 – 54 ). The Orthodox Church was consecrated in 1886 in honour of George the Victorious , the Great Martyr , and it was built on the means of the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society . Here there are two stone water-carriers from that time . To the right from the Church entrance , there is a stone , which has been brought from Abkhazia from the place of the Martyr death of the Apostle Simon .
Mount Tabor . For now , on the top of Tabor , there are two monasteries : Orthodox and Catholic . The Orthodox one was renewed here in the XIX century by Archimandrite Irinarkh , who is a follower of the Monk Paisius Velichkovsky . In the Church , under the glass window there is a stone from the very top of the mountain , on which , according to the legend , the Lord stood during the Transfiguration . Also , there is the miraculous image of the Blessed Virgin “ The Unfading Flower ” in here . This simple
The Monastery of Temptation is an Orthodox Greek friary , which is on a mountain at the edge of Jericho . It is the place of the temptation of Jesus Christ by the Devil . The main relics of the monastery are ; a cave where , according to the legend , Christ prayed , and the stone , on which the Lord sat . For the past 30 years , only an elderly monk , alongside his assistant have lodged in the monastery . The mountain is a real challenge for the cenobites who come here , because of challenges in climbing the mountain .
Mount Tabor is a 600-meter-high mountain , which is visible for many miles and is marked in history as the node of many significant sacred history events and above all , by the fact that it is atop of the mountain that the transfiguration of the Lord occurred . icon printed on the newsprint became famous by many healings . On the day of the Orthodox celebration of the Transfiguration of the Lord ( August , 19 ), a cloud appears every year in the sky above Mount Tabor , even if the weather is clear . It descends to the Orthodox Church and covers both the Church and people , who are inside .
MONASTERIES OF THE JUDEAN DESERT
Between the 4th‐7th centuries in the Holy Land , there were dozens of monasteries with thousands of monks . These are the abodes of the Sts . Euthymius the Great , Theodosius the Great , Sabbas the Sanctified . St . Sabbas the Sanctified Orthodox Monastery exists to this day in perfect condition and structurally intact , it is in the Judean Desert on the slope of the Kidron stream dating back to the 5th century . Among those who lived in the monastery , are dozens of glorified saints ( John Damascene , Andrew of Crete , etc .), and not excluding the Martyrs who suffered during the Muslim raids . The main shrine of the monastery holds the relics of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified . Nearby , there is the abode of Theodosius the Great .
Monastery of St . George of Choziba is in the valley of Wadi Qelt . It was once all green , but now it is hard to tell , looking at the stern bare rocks . The abode is next to the cave in which the Prophet Elijah lurked for three years and six months , eating the food that was brought to him by ravens . In the middle of the 20th century , an amazing ascetic , Venerable John the Romanian ( 1913 – 1960 ), worked in the monastery . His relics and clothing are imperishable and now rest in one of the monastery churches , in a glass shrine .
Monastery of St . Gerasimus of Jordan was founded by St . Gerasimus in the 5th century . His life remarkably stands out due to the story about curing a lion , who then served the saint humbly all his life . On the icons of the monastery , the Venerable Gerasimus is depicted with the lion . In this monastery , the Venerable Zosima also worked and met the Venerable Maria of Egypt in the desert . On the left of the monastery entrance there is a small cave temple , in which the relics of the Martyrs and the miraculous fresco-icon of the Mother of God , The Nursing Madonna rest . According to legend , in this cave , the Holy Family lived here for a while , on the way to Egypt .
The city of Lidda is the homeland of St . George the Victorious . St . George was a Roman warrior and he suffered in Nicomedia at the beginning of the 4th century . His relics were brought to his homeland , Lydda . His tomb is in the crypt of the Arab Orthodox Church .
31