St. George Monastery, The Holy Land

A monastery located in Wadi Qelt. The complex, with its ancient chapel and gardens, is active and inhabited by Eastern Orthodox monks. It is reached by a pedestrian bridge across Wadi Qelt. The valley parallels an old Roman road to Jericho near the Good Samaritan Inn from the parable in Luke 10:29-37.

The monastery was named St. George after the most famous monk who lived at the site.

St. George’s Monastery started in the 4^th C with several monks who followed the desert experiences of the prophets, and settled around a cave where they believed Elijah was fed by ravens (1 Kings 17:5-6).

The monastery was founded by John of Thebes around 480 CE. It became an important spiritual center in the 6^th C CE under St. George of Choziba.

Hermits living in nearby caves in the cliffs would meet in the monastery for a weekly mass and communal meal.

Destroyed in 614 A.D. by the Persians, the monastery was more or less abandoned after they massacred the fourteen monks who dwelt there.

The Crusaders made some attempts at restoration in 1179. However, it fell into disuse after their expulsion.

In 1878, a Greek monk, Kallinikos, settled here and restored the monastery, finishing it in 1901. The bones and skulls of the martyred monks killed by the Persians in 614 CE can still be seen today in the chapel.