Damascus -- Within the Cave

In my previous post, I mentioned the most holy place at the St. Georges Monastery -- the cave. And, you, my friends, can venture there with me now.

Wait up, guys! We want to tag along.

Speaking of which, remember John, our unofficial guide, from the Lady of Saydnaya convent? We picked up him and his friend because we didn't know our way around the small town. They crowded into our van and showed us the way here. You can see John there on the right. When we left St. Georges, he handed me a small packet of incense that had the monastery's name on it. He'd purchased it for me in the gift shop, I guess, and wanted me to have a souvenir. I still have it. Just looked at it actually to see if it were St. George or St. Georges (the French spelling). It's the latter.

Here we descend into the cave, remove our shoes and take a look around

It's interesting to think of all the people who have cried out to God from here over the centuries. What was happening in the world when they lived? What were the biggest needs of their hearts? What was going on in their countries?


Abu Muhammad talked to the priest who spoke in Arabic. Thankfully Samer translated for our benefit. This priest was very welcoming and kind. Much friendlier than the nuns we met at the previous place we visited.

Shoeless

Andrew

Pictures from Saydnaya, Syria
February 5, 2009