The brethren of the Syrian monastery in the name of the holy great martyr George and the Cherubims are working to restore the monastery, three quarters of which were destroyed during the fighting in the country.
The monastery, located about thirty kilometers from Damascus, is one of the largest Christian pilgrimage centers in Syria. The monks hope not only to restore the holy monastery, but also to expand it somewhat, as well as to make up for the losses of church utensils lost during the war. “Icons and church utensils were stolen. We will definitely restore everything,” the rector of the monastery of St. George and Cherubim Ioann Tali assures the TASS correspondent.
Completion also requires work on the thirty-five-meter sculpture of the Lord Jesus Christ, installed in the monastery in Saydnaya at the expense of the Russian Orthodox Church. The inmates are counting on the help of Russian restorers in this matter. Orthodox pilgrims from our country are also very much welcome here. “We managed to preserve and save Christian shrines from the militants, and we are waiting for the day when we will be able to organize joint prayers in the churches,” says the rector, Father John.
During the hostilities, the militants managed to seize the Cherubim monastery for a day, in which they staged robberies and atrocities. However, none of the monks left the monastery either that day or after. Father Superior has no idea how leave sacred places for each monk - after all, a monk must have such strength of mind to serve as an example for the laity.
Currently, work is underway in the monastery to expand the main church in the name of the great martyr George the Victorious. After an early service, the monks go to the quarries and bite into the rock to make the monastery church more spacious. Now it accommodates only fifty people, which, of course, is very small. Civilian specialists work together in the monastics on the territory of the holy monastery: both engineers and ordinary builders, all of them work absolutely free of charge.
The monastery, located about thirty kilometers from Damascus, is one of the largest Christian pilgrimage centers in Syria. The monks hope not only to restore the holy monastery, but also to expand it somewhat, as well as to make up for the losses of church utensils lost during the war. “Icons and church utensils were stolen. We will definitely restore everything,” the rector of the monastery of St. George and Cherubim Ioann Tali assures the TASS correspondent.
Completion also requires work on the thirty-five-meter sculpture of the Lord Jesus Christ, installed in the monastery in Saydnaya at the expense of the Russian Orthodox Church. The inmates are counting on the help of Russian restorers in this matter. Orthodox pilgrims from our country are also very much welcome here. “We managed to preserve and save Christian shrines from the militants, and we are waiting for the day when we will be able to organize joint prayers in the churches,” says the rector, Father John.
During the hostilities, the militants managed to seize the Cherubim monastery for a day, in which they staged robberies and atrocities. However, none of the monks left the monastery either that day or after. Father Superior has no idea how leave sacred places for each monk - after all, a monk must have such strength of mind to serve as an example for the laity.
Currently, work is underway in the monastery to expand the main church in the name of the great martyr George the Victorious. After an early service, the monks go to the quarries and bite into the rock to make the monastery church more spacious. Now it accommodates only fifty people, which, of course, is very small. Civilian specialists work together in the monastics on the territory of the holy monastery: both engineers and ordinary builders, all of them work absolutely free of charge.
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