While the monastery of St. Equal Apostle Thekla is being restored in Maaloula, it remains in a state of siege. About it in an interview with RIA Novosti said vicar of the Patriarch of Antioch and the whole East, vicar of the Elias Monastery in Shwaya (Lebanon), Bishop of Zabadan Constantine (Kayal).
Ancient monastery Saint Thekla, Equal to the Apostles, has been repeatedly attacked by radical Islamist groups, and is currently being revived. “In Maaloula, one wing of the monastery is now being restored so that the sisters of the monastery can return to it. Of course, fear remains, danger remains, but we need to return there. We must give our testimony that we remain on this holy land,” Bishop Konstantin.
There are many fanatics there, but the Mother of God protects us
Syrian Maaloula remains last place on Earth, where spoken language is Aramaic - the earthly language of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And Maaloula was captured by CCA and Jabhat al-Nusra militants. 13 nuns and 3 novices, together with the abbess of the monastery of St. Thekla, were held captive and were mediated by the Lebanese secret services.
The representative of the Antioch Patriarchate also said that currently one of the largest convents in Syria is the Seidnai monastery Mother of God is surrounded by fanatical Muslims.
“The entire monastery is surrounded by Muslim villages, there are many fanatics there, but the Mother of God protects us; the nuns and laity feel her presence and do not leave their homes,” the bishop emphasized.
The agency's interlocutor especially noted a good relationship Syrian Christians with adherents of traditional Islam. “We do not have any difficulties with moderate Muslims, we live next to them, they share both our joys and our sorrows. We live in peace, and even political leaders belonging to both faiths are friendly to each other,” said the clergyman.
The small town of Maaloula is famous for being one of the three places on earth where local residents still speaks Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus Christ. This amazing preservation was also facilitated by the inaccessibility of the town itself. Now a small scientific center for the study of the ancient language has been opened here, and linguists from all over the world come here. IN apostolic times Aramaic, a Semitic language, was the main spoken language in much of the Middle East.
The city of Maaloula is located 56 km northeast of Damascus, at an altitude of 1650 m above sea level, in the Qalamon mountains. The city is surrounded on all sides by high mountains and can only be reached through a narrow gorge. Maybe that’s why Maaloula means “entrance” or “passage” in Aramaic. Residential buildings, nestled comfortably on the mountain slopes, rise above each other here, against the backdrop of picturesque cliffs and a formidable gorge. Here is also one of the greatest shrines of Syria - the monastery of St. Thekla, Equal-to-the-Apostles, the First Martyr, faithful disciple of the Apostle Paul.
Saint Thekla (in Russian tradition - Thekla) was born in the Roman city of Iconium, located at the foot of the Taurus mountain range, in the south of Asia Minor. Her father was a governor in this city (according to another version, she was the daughter of a rich widow), so she grew up in prosperity and luxury, and by the age of 18 she received a good pagan education. They were already preparing to marry her off when her fate suddenly changed dramatically.
Around 45 AD, the Apostle Paul, accompanied by Barnabas, arrived in the city of Iconium, as evidenced by the New Testament “Acts of the Apostles” (chapter 14), preaching the Word of God to the Jews and Greeks. They stopped, according to legend, in the house of a certain Onesiphoros, located next to the house of the Roman governor. I was able to overhear the vivid sermons of St. Paul from open window and Thekla. His words awakened deep faith in the soul of the conscientious girl, filled her with the meaning of existence and strengthened her in the conviction that her life should now be dedicated to God. The impact of his words was so great that she did not eat or drink for three days. This caused furious indignation among her loved ones, who became one of the initiators of the persecution of the apostle for preaching the Gospel.
Many early Christian writings have survived that describe the life of Thekla. Various legends testify that at the insistence of Thekla’s parents, the Apostle Paul was taken into custody. But Thekla at night, bribing the guards, made her way into his dungeon, giving them a silver mirror. There she listened all night to his teachings and instructions about the love of God, which strengthened her in faith and the correctness of her chosen path. Soon the Apostle Paul was decided to be expelled from the city along with Barnabas and a few of their followers. And poor Thekla, angry at her stubbornness and inflexibility, for refusing to renounce the new faith, was condemned to be burned. The apostles prayed for several days for Thekla’s deliverance from the unrighteous trial, being not far from the city. When the tormentors had already lit a strong fire, a thunderstorm suddenly began with heavy rain extinguished the raging flames, thereby keeping her unharmed. Seeing the inexorable will of providence, the city authorities decided to let her go. After the miraculous deliverance, Thekla finds the apostles Paul and Barnabas and together with them preaches the Word of God in Syria, performing numerous miracles. Together with them she comes to Antioch, where the governor of the city, seduced by her beauty, decided to woo her. But having decided to dedicate her virginity to the heavenly Bridegroom, Thekla publicly gives him a decisive refusal. Enraged by her stubbornness, he angrily condemns her to be devoured by lions. Thrown into the pit with them, she remains miraculously unharmed; they only peacefully fawn over her. Then they throw numerous poisonous snakes at her, but they do not cause her any harm. The Lord did not allow her to perish and preserved her life for future deeds. Of the Christian women, she was the first to be condemned to torture - torn to pieces. wild animals, and although they did not touch her, they Christian history She is considered the first martyr. After the miraculous rescue, the governor of the city releases Saint Thekla, who, with the blessing of the Apostle Paul, goes independently to the city of Seleucia, which once stood on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and where the burials of the Syrian kings were located. Thekla preaches a lot, carrying the word of truth, and works miracles with God's help. She successfully spreads Christianity in Syria, along with the apostles, and therefore is later recognized by the Church as equal to the apostles. When she comes to the mountains of Kalamon, completely exhausted, she turns to the Lord for mercy not to leave her without His care. After all, after long years of wandering, her strength left her, but she had to overcome high mountain. Falling to her knees, she prays for a long time for strength and help. And a miracle happens: the mountain suddenly moves apart, forming a narrow passage to the village. According to another version, the rock moves apart during a chase from soldiers sent by the father to fetch his adamant daughter, giving her the opportunity to take refuge in the village. But for many centuries the inquisitive mind of man could not explain the wonderful formation of the gorge otherwise. Even today’s science finds it difficult to clearly explain the reasons for such a natural miracle, when the mountain seems to have been broken by some invisible force.
Later, righteous Thekla settled here, in a cave, near a spring, where she spent her days in fasting and prayer and where she often received the sick, bringing them numerous healings. Hence the second meaning of the name Maaloula, this is the place where the sick come, in Arabic “maalil”.
After the death of the saint, a temple was built in her cave and an altar was erected, which has survived to this day. In the 4th century. was founded here convent when the natural cave was expanded. In its southern part there is a tomb with the relics of St. Thekla, and in the eastern part there is a stone altar for worship. There is also a miraculous spring here, the waters of which still provide healing today. Water here drips from the ceiling and collects in a stone reservoir, from which the holy inhabitant also drank water. It should be noted interesting fact that a tree grew in the cave, the age of which no one undertakes to determine. On the slopes of the mountains around the cave, numerous cell-caves of early Christians, who from ancient times began to be attracted by the holiness of this place, are clearly visible.
In the 19th century In the monastery of St. Thekla, a temple was built in the name of the Prophet John the Baptist, as a sign that St. Thekla was the first to baptize the local population here. Cells were also erected and the territory was landscaped, which made it possible to create a cozy monastery complex. It is still the site of a convent today, with thirty nuns who care for the maintenance of the monastery and the education of orphan girls. The monastery has always been under the jurisdiction of Antioch Orthodox Church, and until the 19th century. there was even a center of episcopacy in Maaloula. Interestingly, in 325 his bishop Eutyches took part in the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea and signed its definitions.
Local residents lovingly call Saint Thekla “Barkata”, which means “blessed” in Aramaic. Numerous pilgrims arrive daily to venerate her relics, but most of them arrive on the patronal feast day, September 24 / October 7, when the memory of Saint Thekla is celebrated. Pilgrims stop in Maaloula, which is also one of the mountain resorts in Syria and where residents of Damascus come to escape the summer heat.
At the top of Mount Qalamun there is one of the oldest monasteries in Syria, a monastery and temple in the name of the Holy Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus, Roman soldiers who suffered martyrdom for the faith, which is called “Maar Sarkis” in Arabic. As is known, the martyr Sergius was heavenly patron St. Sergius Radonezh, and a temple in honor of him was erected here already in the 4th century, and later created nearby monastery. The temple preserves part of the Byzantine frescoes, as well as two ancient altars in the shape of a bowl, repeating pagan traditions. Services here are still conducted in Aramaic.
An interesting tradition in Maaloula is the celebration of the Exaltation of the Honest and Life-giving Cross The Lord's. As you know, in 325 the Empress Helena found the Cross of Christ in Jerusalem. Many people tried to see the shrine. And then Patriarch Macarius of Jerusalem began to raise (erect) the Cross, and people worshiped him. A holiday was later established in memory of this event. So, the news of the discovery of the Cross was transmitted to Constantinople using the ancient method of transmitting information - using signal fires. And in memory of this event, numerous bonfires are always lit on the tops of the mountains in Maaloula.
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Maaloula famous for the fact that they speak Aramaic (a Western dialect), in which Jesus Christ preached. Aramaic is spoken by about 6 thousand people, including in three settlements in this region of Syria.
Maaloula means "entrance", and indeed, the village is located in a picturesque gorge among the rocky mountains of Kalamun at an altitude of 1650 meters, dotted with grottoes and hermitages of hermits who settled here.
Maaloula has two important Christian monastery: Monastery of St. Thekla And Monastery of St. Sergius(Mar Sarkis is the Arabic name of St. Sergius).
Thekla was born in Iconium into a wealthy family (now the Turkish city of Konya), sitting by an open window (the law prohibited women from attending men’s meetings), she heard the sermons of the Apostle Paul. The apostle’s words made such an impression on Thekla that she did not eat or drink for 3 days.
Thekla's angry fiancé insisted that Paul be put in prison, but she made her way into the dungeon, giving the guard her silver mirror and listened to his speeches all night. The city authorities decided to expel Paul from the city and burn Thekla. But the rain put out the fire, and the hail dispersed the guards.
Thekla followed Paul to Antioch. There, the local ruler fell in love with her, but not having achieved Thekla’s favor, he threw her to the hungry lions. But they began to lick the holy hands.
Having settled in Maaloula, Thekla took up healing - with the power of her Faith, she healed the sick physically and spiritually for free. Local doctors thought that Thekla's strength was that she was a virgin and persuaded the robbers to attack her. According to another version, Thekla was pursued by Roman soldiers, who were persuaded to attack her daughter by her own father.
When the pursuers were very close, Saint Thekla prayed for help to Christ, and the mountains surrounding Maaloula parted, forming a narrow gorge along which Thekla escaped from the robbers.
Not far from the cave where the saint lived, they erected Mar Takla Monastery (St. Thekla Monastery).
Monastery of Saint Thekla. Maaloula.
The relics of Saint Thekla are kept in a niche of the cave; a chapel was built here, and many pilgrims come here to pray to Thekla for healing. Water from an inexhaustible source drips from the ceiling of the cave; Thekla took her water from here, and she is considered holy.
From the old buildings, only the church has survived - a typical Byzantine temple, a monastery courtyard with a fountain with rooms for nuns built in the 19th century. Under the floor of the church are the remains of an ancient pagan temple.
Monastery of St. Sergius and Bacchus is located on the other side of the gorge at a peak of 1790 meters.
Monastery of St. Sergius and Bacchus.
Sergius and Bacchus were Roman legionaries, but became adherents Christian faith, refused to make sacrifices pagan gods and were executed.
The monastery was erected on the site of a pagan temple, and the walls of the ancient temple were preserved, which gives the right to consider Mar Sarkis one of the oldest operating monasteries in the world.
The shape of the church remains from the pagan temple - bowl-shaped with two altars. This form of altar was abandoned in the second half of the 4th century due to too much similarity with pagan attributes.
Here is an icon of the Virgin Mary - a copy (copy) of the icon painted by Saint Luke, kept in the monastery of Our Lady of Seidnai.
Co observation deck next to the monastery there is a view of Maaloula.
SYRIA - A COUNTRY OF HISTORICAL MONUMENTS AND ANCIENT CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS
SYRIA played an outstanding role in the history of mankind. This country is often spoken of as the cradle of civilization, since many greatest achievements human culture originates in ancient Syria stretching from the Taurus Mountains to the Sinai and from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates. On this earth, man learned the secrets of agriculture and metallurgy and invented the first alphabet. The foundations of many religions and philosophical doctrines, the beginnings of trade, urban planning and diplomacy, and the skills of cultural exchange originated in Syria.
Damascus - the oldest city in the world, inhabited to this day. Over the past centuries, many civilizations - Aramaic, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Arab - have left their mark on its appearance.
WE VISITED CHRISTIAN AND HISTORICAL PLACES:
WOMEN'S ORTHODOX MONASTERY OF THE NAME OF THE MOTHER OF GOD "SAYDNAYA";
- TEMPLE M.C.H. SERGIA AND BACCHUS / IV century. /
- WOMEN'S ORTHODOX MONASTERY OF SAINT THEKLA IN MAALULA / Iv./;
- ANCIENT CITY OF DAMASCUS WHICH WE VIEWED:
GATE “BAV KISAN”, THROUGH WHICH THE APOSTLE PAUL FLEED;
- “STRAIGHT STREET” - MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE;
- THE HOUSE OF THE APOSTLE ANANIAS, IN WHICH THE MIRACULOUS HEALING AND CONVERSION OF THE APOSTLE PAUL HAPPENED / 1st century. /;
- CATHEDRAL CATHEDRAL OF THE PATRIARCHATE OF ANTIOCHE AND THE WHOLE EAST;
- THE OMYYAD MOSQUE, IN WHICH THE HONORABLE HEAD OF JOHN THE BAPTIST RESTS IN A SARCOPHAGUS;
- MARKET “KHAMIDIYA” BUILT IN THE 1st century;
- ANCIENT CITY OF PALMYRA / TADMOR – I century. BC. /;
- COLLEGE OF THE SYRO-JACOBITE CHURCH.
A brief history of the convent of the Mother of God “Saydnaya”.
SIDE-Siryak word. SAYDA- madam, NAYA– our – our lady. In Siryak language this word means: SIDE– hunting, DNA– a place, that is, a place for hunting.
A particularly revered shrine of the monastery is the Saidnai Icon of the Mother of God, one of four painted, according to legend, by the holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke.
In Siryak this icon is called “SHAGURA”, which means famous, known to everyone.
The monastery also houses several ancient precious icons depicting the Mother of God and others from the 5th, 6th, 7th centuries. The library contains ancient manuscripts.
Saidnai Monastery- the largest convent in Syria, where about fifty nuns and novices work. There is an orphanage at the monastery where forty orphan girls live and study. The shelter is maintained through donations from parishioners. The rector of the monastery is the Patriarch.
The practical management of the monastery is carried out by the Abbess, the viceroy of the Patriarch. The monastery is considered one of the richest; it has its own extensive farm and fully satisfies its food needs. Of course, numerous pilgrims leave donations for the needs of the monastery and the shelter.
The patronal feast of the monastery is September 8 - the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Saydnaya is located partly in a valley, partly on the slopes of a rocky hill, the top of which is crowned by the Orthodox convent of the Saydnaya Mother of God.
An excursion into history.
In 547, Emperor Justinian passed with an army through Syria during the war with the Persians and stopped in the desert near Damascus.
The heat and thirst exhausted his soldiers and horses. The emperor himself went to look for a source of water. In the distance he saw a gazelle and started chasing it. The gazelle suddenly stopped on the top of a rock and the emperor prepared to shoot an arrow at it.
Suddenly a pillar of light appeared, the gazelle turned into a woman in white robes, who said: “You will not kill me, Justinian, but will build a church and a monastery on this place.” The light went out, the woman disappeared.
According to legend, Holy Mother of God once again appeared to the emperor to suggest a plan according to which the monastery should be built.
The original plan of this charming church still exists, which reflects the high culture of Byzantium.
The Saidnai monastery, according to some clergy, ranks second after Jerusalem in terms of its importance and the number of pilgrims visiting sacred places in the East. The monastery is known as a stronghold of Orthodoxy in the East.
Within the walls of the monastery there is miraculous icon Mother of God, who helps all people of any religion who turn to her with faith, venerating the icon of “Shagura” and asking her for the grace of the Mother of God.
During our visit to the monastery, we were told a lot wonderful stories, associated with this icon and taking place in different periods of history. If the author’s memory serves us correctly, we were told about the miracle of the resurrection of an Arab from Saudi Arabia.
The first abbess of the monastery was the sister of Emperor Justinian.
She asked one of the pilgrims going to the Holy Sepulcher to purchase for the monastery an icon depicting the Virgin and Child, providing the traveler with money and the necessary instructions.
The pilgrim purchased the required icon. On the way back, the group of pilgrims faced numerous dangers - either widespread disease would begin, robbers would attack, or nature would go wild, but each time the danger receded. This circumstance prompted the person who bought the icon to think about its miraculousness.
Returning to the monastery, he decided to hide it and returned the money to the abbess, expressing regret that he could not fulfill the order.
Having slept in the monastery cell the next day, the wanderer wanted to continue his journey, but an unknown force did not let him out of the threshold. Immediately guessing the reason, the deceiver repents to the abbess and gives her the miraculous icon.
Since then, the priceless relic has been kept in a silver casket located in a niche, behind a metal grate.
The photographs presented in this album show the icon case in which the Saidnai Icon of the Mother of God / 1st century / is located. It is quite difficult to examine the icon due to the poor lighting in the chapel room. In addition, the shrine is covered with a frame and a significant amount of metal (silver, gold, etc.) offerings from believers.
In Saidnai, over time, many other churches were built with donations from parishioners and pilgrims. Over time, under the influence natural Disasters, as well as the persecution of the Arabs, many churches were destroyed.
Two villages have survived to this day - Zhabaadin and Bakha, located near Saydnaya, in which they speak the Siryak language, which is considered the indigenous language of this inland region of Syria.
WOMEN'S MONASTERY OF SAINT THEKLA IN MAALOULA.
The village of Maaloula is located in the Qalamon mountains, 56 kilometers northeast of Damascus.
Maaloula is a place where the population still speaks Aramaic, the language of Jesus Christ.
Maaloula is one of the main shrines of Syria.
Here is the cave in which Equal-to-the-Apostles Thekla, a disciple of the Holy Apostle Paul, lived and was buried.
Saint Thekla was born in the city of Iconium /on the Mediterranean coast of modern Turkey near Greece/. Her father held a high post in the Roman Empire - he was the Roman governor of Iconium.
Thekla grew up in wealth and prosperity, corresponding to the high position of the family, and was raised by her parents in the traditions of the pagan beliefs of her ancestors. By the age of 18 she was a beautiful and educated girl. Her parents were preparing to marry her off.
For the first time, the inhabitants of Iconium heard about the teachings of Jesus Christ from the Apostle Paul, when, accompanied by Barnabas (Acts, ch. 13, 14), he came to Iconium (45 AD) on his way to Greece.
The apostle stayed in the house of Onesiphorus, which was located next door to the house of the Roman governor, and Thekla, from the window of her house, heard the sermons of St. Paul, with which he addressed the local Jews and Greeks. The words of the apostle attracted her attention and gradually filled the girl’s soul with the light of sincere and deep faith in one God and Father and in Jesus Christ, the son of God, who came to take upon himself the sins of people and show them the path to salvation. Day by day, Thekla grew stronger in her faith and in the conviction that her life should be devoted to Christianity.
The parents adhered to the old views and persuaded their daughter to return to pagan traditions family, but could not force Thekla to renounce her faith in Christ the Savior. Angered by his daughter's stubbornness, the governor ordered her to be burned at the stake, but a sudden thunderstorm with heavy rain put out the fire.
Then Thekla was thrown into a pit with hungry lions, but they began to fawn on her like domestic cats.
Poisonous snakes were released on her, but they did not harm her.
Tormented by her father's persecution, the girl was forced to flee Iconium. Her father sent a detachment of warriors after her, but they were unsuccessful.
Saint Thekla went first to Antioch, and from there to the south. Along the way, she preached the teachings of Jesus Christ and performed miracles.
The girl walked the whole way. When she reached the Maalul mountains, her strength left her, as she was tired from the long journey and exhausted. To go down to the village, it was necessary to overcome a high mountain.
Then Thekla, falling to her knees, began to ask the Lord to help her. And one of the Lord’s miracles happened - the mountain moved apart and formed a narrow passage through which Thekla came out to the village.
The word Maaloula means "passage" or "entrance" in Aramaic.
Saint Thekla settled in a small cave near the gorge and lived for many years at the source, spending her days in fasting and prayer.
People from different places came to her and she baptized those who believed with water from the spring and healed the sick.
And today those who sincere faith comes to the burial place of Saint Thekla to drink water from an inexhaustible miraculous spring, receives a blessing and healing from illnesses.
Christians created an altar near the cave of St. Thekla, where prayers were performed until the 3rd century. The altar has survived to this day.
From the 4th century until the beginning of the 9th century, Maaloula was the center of the episcopate.
Now it's female Orthodox monastery belonging to the Antiochian Orthodox Church. The nuns take care of maintaining the monastery and raising orphan girls.
September 24 is the feast of St. Thekla. On this day there are especially many guests in the monastery.
On September 14, the Feast of the Holy Cross, bonfires are lit on the peaks in Maaloula in memory of the way in which in 325 the news of the discovery of the holy cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified was conveyed from Jerusalem to Constantinople.
The church at the monastery, where liturgies are held, is named in honor of John the Baptist, as a sign that Saint Thekla was the first to baptize newly converted Christians in these places.
The renovation of the monastery continues to this day, incl. thanks to the donations of believers.
To climb to the cave of St. Thekla, the ancient altar and the holy spring, you need to climb up the stairs from the monastery platform. From there you can clearly see the ancient stone cells of the first Christians on the slopes of the opposite mountains.
There is a museum at the monastery with examples of copper utensils from the 12th century.
The monastery has a special wing for the accommodation of orphan girls, their education and social training, so that the girls either become useful to society, get married, or become nuns in the monastery.
CONTINUATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OF THE EXPEDITION TO SYRIA - TO BE CONTINUED
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“is trying to monitor the situation around the monastery of St. Thekla Equal to the Apostles in the Syrian town of Maaloula. Both the city and the monastery are places known throughout the world and are included in UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The hoary antiquity and depth of the spiritual tradition of early Christianity!
The town of Maaloula, located in the highlands near Damascus, is famous for the fact that the Aramaic language spoken by our Savior Jesus Christ has been preserved here. Well, the monastery of St. Thekla is a completely unique place, for it contains the relics of the disciple of the Apostle Paul, from whom wonderful miracles are performed to this day, as evidenced by photographs, documents and material evidence. And next to the monastery is the same cleft in the mountain, which, according to legend, parted, hiding the holy maiden Thekla, who was fleeing from desecration.
I had the opportunity to visit there in February 2013 as part of a delegation from the Apostle Paul Foundation, meet with the abbess - kind, open, but also strict - Mother Pelageya (Sayyaf), and participate in divine services. Therefore, disturbing news about events around the monastery always causes pain in the heart.
The territory where the monastery is located - the vicinity of Mount Kalamun - is today the site of fierce fighting. When we were in the monastery, the situation was relatively calm, although the artillery was constantly “working”, and we heard shell explosions. And when we were returning to Maaloula from the ancient (4th century) temple in honor of Saints Sergius and Bacchus (now this ancient temple, which belonged to the Uniates, was reportedly destroyed by bandits), we were asked to quickly walk along the road, since there was a danger of getting caught under sniper fire. However, some of my companions, not heeding the warning, on the contrary, began to photograph picturesque places, goats grazing peacefully, and we walked slowly. But God was merciful.
Later it was reported that the inhabitants of this area - and it is inhabited mainly by Christians - turned to Russia with a request for citizenship. Apparently, for this they were retaliated against in the past and today the bandits are taking revenge...
When we were at the monastery of St. Thekla, Mother Pelageya told me that during the entire war against Syria there was only one attempt to capture Maaloula, but the attack of the bandits was repelled by the militia. But at the end of August the war reached Maaloula. The militants captured the city for several days. Syrian and Russian media reported this, and famous television journalist Arkady Mamontov even filmed a story at the battle site. At first, we were told that the mother with the nuns and children from the orphanage at the monastery took refuge in secret caves, and the militants were not able to get inside the monastery. However, it later became known that the militants had infiltrated the monastery. A video of their conversation with Mother Pelageya was posted online, during which they apparently threatened the abbess. But the troops then managed to drive the militants out of the city and liberate the monastery.
And here is a new message about an attack on the monastery at the end of November. And again conflicting information. First they reported the abduction of the abbess of the monastery with the sisters and children of the orphanage, then only the nuns were captured. Then I was informed that there was simply a military operation going on in the area of Mount Kalamun, so there was no communication, and the nuns were safe. Now, official sources from the Antioch Patriarchate still confirm the information about the capture of Abbess Pelagia and several nuns hostage.
In these photographs, taken in February 2013 by me and a member of our delegation, Sergei Goncharov, Maaloula, the monastery of St. Thekla, the mother and the nuns of the monastery.
At the entrance to the monastery of St. Thekla with Artem Polgov and our friend and translator Dr. Daoud, who lived in Russia for a long time.
We are met by the abbess of the monastery, Abbess Pelageya (Sayyaf).
And in this photo I’m next to Mother Pelageya, who somehow treated me with respect right away because of my great height and volume. In one of the cells of the monastery.
Monument to the Savior by Russian sculptor Alexander Rukavishnikov, erected under the care of the Apostle Paul Foundation. And in the background is the cave of St. Thekla, where the relics of the saint rest.
The drops falling from the ceiling of the cave are called “Thekla’s tears” by believers. Sometimes you have to stand for several minutes to get at least one drop into your palms. Here we stand with Valentina Alekseevna Lantseva and Tatyana Ivanovna Kulikova.
There, behind this window, are the relics of the holy saint of God, Equal to the Apostles Thekla. We are in the cave where the holy ascetic hid, and then received the sick and healed them.
Liturgy in the monastery church. With the blessing of Father Matthew and Mother Superior Pelageia, Artem Polgov and I sing (as best we can) in the choir together with Doctor Daoud and the nuns of the monastery.
With Doctor Daoud and architect Sergei Goncharov at the entrance to the passage in the rock through which Saint Thekla escaped from her pursuers, as the statue of the saint reminds. In peacetime, believers passed through the chasm in a procession of the cross.
In that same ancient temple, dating back to the 4th century, the temple of the holy warriors Sergius and Bacchus, which today, according to media reports, has been turned into ruins by Islamist barbarians.
Night in Maaloula. Crosses over the domes of the churches of the monastery of St. Thekla. And there is a crescent moon in the sky. They coexist peacefully.
The photo turned out amazing. These are not snowflakes, but some reflections of light. There was a strong wind.
Dear fathers, brothers and sisters! Let us not forget our brothers and sisters from suffering Syria. They need our help. I ask you to especially pray for the captives to Abbess Pelageya and the sisters of the monastery of St. Thekla.
Anatoly Stepanov, Chief Editor « »
