Have you ever started out on one quest, only to find yourself in a totally different direction? Oh, good, I'm not the only one then. This blog started off pretty straight forward; I thought I'd be off to tell you all about the terrific Christian sites in just Northern Israel. What I didn't know when I started, is that it would take a turn to find some of the lesser known Christian sites throughout Israel.
Chances are you're going to start any Christian pilgrimage in the Holy Land in Jerusalem, home to the very famous Church of the Holy Sepulchre. But, have you ever considered a stop at the Dominus Flevit Church? Have you ever heard of it? Located on the Mount of Olives, this Franciscan Church is built on the site where Jesus "wept over Jerusalem"--according to the Gospel of Luke; and it's the reason why the church is built to look like a teardrop.
Also in Jerusalem is the Church of the Pater Noster, or Latin for "Our Father". Built by the Emperor Constantine in the 4th century AD, it has the Lord's Prayer written out on plaques in over sixty languages--only fitting since this is the traditional site where Jesus taught his followers how to pray.
Gems like these aren't limited to the Holy City of Jerusalem. Over in Abu Ghosh, an Arab village, the Church of Notre Dam de lArche de l'Alliance was said to have housed the Ark of the Covenant for two decades. While technically not a Christian site, this town makes the cut because of its 12th century church the Crusaders built.
Religious men and women didn't just build churches, they built monasteries too. The Mar Saba Monastery has been out here in the Judean Desert for more than 15 centuries; and where men are welcome to see the interior of the St. Saba Church (where the saint himself is buried), and women are welcomed at the Women's Tower.
The Ladies are kind of silent over at the Beit Jimal Monastery, as the nuns take a vow of silence. Their gift shop is where you can buy locally produced olive oil and wine, and its mosaic wall dates to the 5th century at the St. Stephen Church.
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Up in the Golan Heights in the town of Kursi are the ruins of an old Byzantine Monastery, abandoned some time in the 700s thanks to an earthquake. Some of its artifacts are now housed in the Golan Archaeology Museum in Katzrin.
And back over by Jerusalem is the St. George Monastery, a holy place with a 4th century Ancient Chapel built right on the side of dramatic cliffs.
This spiritual quest to see more of Israel's obscure Christian sites ends in the town of Tabgha on the Sea of Galilee's north shore. Most know this area because it's the site of the Multiplication of Loaves & Fishes, for which there's naturally a church. But, if you get the time, come see the Church of Peter's Primacy--where according to the Gospel of John, some of Jesus' followers saw him after the Resurrection.
I know what I saw on this trip, an Israel that many don't get to see too often. I got to see places that are both historic and holy--and hope you will too.
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