According to the official website of the Jerusalem Patriarchate, from Monday, January 29, the historical monastery of the Honorable Forerunner on the Jordan River in the region of Betha-Vara, near Jerusalem, resumed its activities.
According to Christian tradition, the holy monastery was erected on the site of the Baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ by St. John the Forerunner, who lived in a nearby cave, the location of which was reliably known to Christians of the first centuries. Therefore, during the period of Queen Helena's activity in the Holy Land (325 - 335), a monastery was erected here - it is she who, by tradition, is considered its founder. Since then, the holy monastery has been repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt over the centuries. Tradition also testifies that even in Old Testament times the Israelites, led by Joshua, crossed the Jordan here. According to the abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Bartholomew, although work on the restoration of the holy monastery is still ongoing, it is already open to the public every day, from 9:00 to 14:30 local time.
According to Christian tradition, the holy monastery was erected on the site of the Baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ by St. John the Forerunner, who lived in a nearby cave, the location of which was reliably known to Christians of the first centuries. Therefore, during the period of Queen Helena's activity in the Holy Land (325 - 335), a monastery was erected here - it is she who, by tradition, is considered its founder. Since then, the holy monastery has been repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt over the centuries. Tradition also testifies that even in Old Testament times the Israelites, led by Joshua, crossed the Jordan here. According to the abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Bartholomew, although work on the restoration of the holy monastery is still ongoing, it is already open to the public every day, from 9:00 to 14:30 local time.
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