The Monastery of Mar Elias is a monastery of the Greek Orthodox in the south of Jerusalem, and it is one of the largest monasteries of the Roman Patriarchate, and its building is similar to a fortress or an old castle.
the site
The Monastery of Mar Elias is located between the cities of Bethlehem and Jerusalem, 5 kilometers north of Bethlehem, and it sits on a hill overlooking Al-Quds-Khalil Street, at an altitude of 817 meters above sea level.
From it, an exciting panorama can be seen including Jerusalem in the north, Bethlehem south, and Jabal Abu Ghoneim, whose occupation turned into the “Har Hawam” settlement in the east, and even Mount Ferdes (Herodium Fort) in the southeast.
Prophet Elias
Mar Elias, also known as “Elijah”, is a prophet with miracles – according to what was stated in the Book of Kings in the Hebrew Bible (or what is known as conversation) – he lived during the reign of King Ahab in the ninth century BC.
In chapter 18 of the first book of kings, Elijah defended the worship of God instead of worshiping the Canaanite god Baal, who was worshiped by the people of the Levant and Asia Minor, and they considered him the god responsible for rain, thunder, lightning and dew.
According to the same source, the god made many miracles at the hands of Elijah, including the revival of the dead, the landing of the fire from the sky, and the rise to the sky alive in the fire.
In the name of “Elijah al -Tasibi”, this Prophet came warning that there would be years of catastrophic drought that it will not be formed even dew, according to the Hebrew book.
According to the same perception, Ilya, when he predicted drought, was not only a challenging of the god on the same deity, but King Ahab, his wife Isabel, her priests and the people of Israel were also challenged.
Elias was mentioned in the Noble Qur’an and the noble Sunnah of the Prophet, as it was mentioned in the Qur’an 3 times; Once in Surat Al -Anam and two in Surat Al -Saffat, and the owners of this opinion say that Eliasin mentioned the Almighty saying in Surat Al -Saffat (peace be upon Eliasin, we also reward the benefactors) is Elias because the Arabs are attached to many names.
Muslims believe in a message and prophecy of Elias, and many scholars mentioned that he himself is Elijah, as Ibn Katheer said, for example, that his message was for the people of Baalbek west of Damascus, and he adds that they had an idol to worship him called “Bala”.
The Qur’an mentioned this idol on the tongue of the Prophet Elias in his saying in Surat Al -Saffat as well (and Elias is one of the messengers, as he said to his people not to fear you, you will be broken and vowed to the best of the creators).
In Islamic mysticism, Elijah is closely related to the Green wise, whose story was mentioned in Surat Al -Kahf, and the Sufis describes him as “the brother of the vegetables”, and they say that he drank from the “youth of youth”, a source that they believe is returning young people to everyone who drinks or bathe with his water.
The history of the monastery
The name of the monastery with this name is due to more than one reason. According to the Christian tradition, it is based on the site where the Prophet Elias rested when he escaped from Queen Isabel, who was persecuting the prophets and wanted to take revenge on him after he ordered the killing of the prophets of God Baal.
The children of Israel were worshiped by God, and when their king married Ahab from Isabel, this worship was encouraged, so the children of Israel divided between Abed to God and Abed Laa, and when the debate occurred between Elijah and the prophets of Baal in the mountain of Carmel, who was later called the “Holocaust”, as Elijah challenged them to burn firewood with fire that descends from the sky and they gathered the fire and waited from the heaven, but they did not. They must, and defeat, and the Prophet Ilia poured water on firewood, then God sent the fire from the sky and burned wet firewood.
At that time, people began to return to God with faith and repentance to idolatry, then Ilya ordered the arrest of all the prophets of “God Baal” and dragged them on the Qishaun River, and there ordered their slaughter, so Queen Isabel ordered to harm Elijah, so he fled to Bethlehem, and exactly to the area that became known as “Mar Elias”.
Another story tells that the monastery is based on the shrine of Saint Elias, the Egyptian monk, who was the patriarch of the city of Bethlehem in 494 AD, while some believe that he was named by this name because the Bedouins appreciate the Prophet Elias, so he called a relative of him so that he would not be subjected to the attacks of the Bedouins and their invasions.
The monastery was built in the Byzantine era, and some believe that Banneh is the Patriarch of Jerusalem Salosteius in 486 AD, while others believe that Paneh is the Patriarch Ilya in the year 518 AD, and others say that those who ordered his construction is Hercules, the emperor of the Romans in 610 AD, and they say that the Persians destroyed him after their invasion of the country in 614 AD and after their expulsion, he built Hercules again.
The Crusaders re -built the monastery at the beginning of their rule, Palestine, and after half a century it collapsed as a result of an earthquake, and in the year 1160 AD, Emperor Manuel Contestins rebuilt it.
The monastery witnessed other additions with the passage of time, as other sections of it were built on the eastern side, especially for the guests and to absorb more monks.
The Monastery of Mar Elias was closed at the beginning of the First World War by the Turkish government and its monks were repeated, and it was reopened after its end amid a great celebration of the re -Maryam’s statue to him, and this celebration is still a annual ritual that is organized on the second Sunday after the Western Easter.
The monastery witnessed many expansions with the passage of time until it became completed in the form of a semi -existing castle in a strategic location between the cities of Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
In 1948, the monastery was damaged due to the fall of shells on him because of the fire line, and after the defender was silent, he became in the arm of the armistice line, and the road to Jerusalem is no longer passed in front of him, but people take a way to surround him next to the village of Tire Baher, the village of Jabal Al -Mukaber to the Holy City.
Next to it, the Jordanian army built a camp in which a severe battle took place in June 1967, and the monastery was damaged again.
The historian Wasef describes the Monastery of Mar Elias, saying that “one of the greatest and largest monasteries affiliated with the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, and it contains the numerous rooms and spacious celestial squares, and the church is located on the ground floor of it, and he has a special endowment around him the old Roman olive forests.”
He adds that “the process of the olive era is famous”, and describes its result as “pure, pure original oil, which is always sold at more prices than the other oil in the country.”
Deer traditions
Deir Elias in the past was associated with a number of traditions, including holding the wreaths of marriage in it, and what was also famous for it in the month of August is what is known as “Mar Elias’s Day”, and people bring it to fulfill the vows that they cut on themselves, and they offer candles, oil or handicrafts.
The sellers are spread in the square of the monastery building, which resembles an old fortress or fortress, while the church is filled with Christian clerics.
Milestones of Deir Elias
Inside the Monastery, there is the grave of Elijah, Greek Bishop of Bethlehem, who died in 1345 AD. Near the monastery, there is the Katizma Church, which was a standing station for caravans between the Levant and Egypt, and it is one of the eight distinctive churches.
To the south of the monastery, clips from the Al -Sabeel channel, which was transporting water from Berkim Suleiman, can be seen near Bethlehem to Jerusalem.
The monastery faces a stone seat set up by the wife of the British painter William Holman Hunt (1827-1910), who drew some of his main works in this place, a seat engraved with written verses in Hebrew, Greek, Arabic and English languages.
The Israeli settlements are surrounded by the monastery, such as “Ramat Rachel”, which witnessed strong battles in 1948, and his acceptance of the ancient drummer ruin, which is part of the town of Beit Saffa, and it turned into an Israeli site in the name of “Tal Al -Tayyar Hill” (in which an Israeli plane fell during the 1967 war battles) and behind it was built a Jewish settlement.
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