Two kilometers from the Jordan River, in the Deir Hajlah desert, we find the Monastery of St. Gerasimos, named after the man who in the fourth century AD built what is now one of the oldest monasteries in Palestine. The commemoration of the saint takes place every year on March 4. According to ecclesiastical sources, Saint Gerasimos died here in 479 AD. SAMI GHRAIEB Tour guide “This is one of the many monasteries in the Judean desert. Monastic life in the desert began in the third century AD, and it spread up to Sinai, meaning to the desert, because so many people wanted to worship the Lord, leave the material life and devote themselves to the spiritual life. This is one of the cells or cloisters that was built during that time so that the monks could meet for prayer or for meals. The importance of the place lies in the fact that the head of this monastery was Saint Gerasimos.” Within the monastery, there is a small chapel, built at the time of the apostles in a grotto that is believed to have housed the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph and the baby Jesus during their journey from Palestine to Egypt when they were escaping Herod. The chapel is now located under the main church of the monastery. It consists of three naves, and it was built to commemorate the saints who lived as hermits in the desert of the Dead Sea. YACOUB AL-ARASH Christian archeological expert “The first monk who lived here and founded the hermitage was called Malawoon, one of the followers of St. Kiratone, in the second century. Then, came St. Gerasimos. Saint Malawoon believed he had to build his hermitage here in honor of St. Joseph, the Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus.”
 MOHAMMED MANSOUR Palestinian Ministry for Tourism and Archeology “Deir Hajlah is important for the Christian religion because the Virgin Mary visited this place with Jesus. This is one reason why it is called Deir Hajlah. It is said that the name comes from the Arabic verb “hajlat,” which in Arabic means “walking on one leg.” The Virgin Mary, carrying Jesus, walked on one foot, while she was fleeing from the Romans. This is one reason. This place was a Byzantine monastery. This is proved by the existence of Byzantine mosaics on church floor.” Currently, they are building a staircase in the monastery, with a background of mosaics representing Palestine at the time of Alexander the Great. The monastery has a bookstore and souvenir shop, in addition to a garden to accommodate tourists and a mosaic workshop. To the North, we find the source of Hajlah, which gave life to a little oasis in the desert, with flourishing vegetation. Read More