Monastery of Saint Thekla
The Monastery of Saint Thekla ( Mar Takla , Arabic دير مار تقلا) Is a 1935-built Greek Orthodox monastery , which in Maalula ( Syria is) and the Patriarchate of Antioch is managed. The monastery is an important Christian pilgrimage site in Syria. After the site was conquered in the Syrian civil war in 2013 , rebels from the Al-Nusra Front kidnapped twelve nuns from the monastery, looted and badly damaged the building. It was not until 2018, four years after the Islamists were expelled, that the monastery was able to reopen. The descriptions of the icons in this article reflect the state before destruction (2013) and reconstruction (2018).
Location and buildings
The isolated place Maalula (Aramaic for entrance ) is located about 56 km northeast of Damascus in the Qalamun Mountains. The inhabitants of the place at an altitude of 1,600 meters are New West Aramaic speaking Christians. The monastery was built in 1935 around the grotto and tomb of Saint Thekla .
The monastery today
On the ground floor of the monastery there is a reception room, a refectory and sales rooms for the religious artefacts . The nuns live in their monastery cells on the second floor . In the basement is the kitchen with a brick for making bread. An extension from 1888 has recently been converted into a patriarchal residence.
The guest house, which is ready for tourists and visitors, was built in 1934. A ladder at the top of the main monastery building leads directly to the shrine of Saint Thekla. The shrine consists of a rock grotto from the early Christian centuries. The grotto is divided into a sacred spring and two small, recently modernized churches.
history
From the 4th century onwards, the first monasteries were founded in the place and were able to assert themselves despite the Islamization , the destroyed monasteries were rebuilt repeatedly. Manuscripts that prove the Christian origin are in the monks' archive . 1756 the monastery of St. Thekla and have been John the Baptist - Church built. In 1840 the Russian consul Uspensky mentions four monks who live in the monastery. In 1906 a church was built over the grotto and the ancient remains. The monastery building was built in 1935 and one storey higher in 1959.
The monastery is still visited by Christian pilgrims to this day .
Place of pilgrimage
Healing abilities are assigned to holy Thekla . These attract numerous visitors to the monastery who fulfill a vow there . The pilgrim families live in the guest house attached to the monastery. Before that, visitors spend the afternoon and night in the grotto and lie down in front of the iconostasis at dawn and drink the consecrated spring water . There are different rituals that support the desire. A pregnant woman would eat the wick of one of the oil lamps in the grotto . Believers who cannot travel to Maalula due to illness can give the travelers their prayers and wishes in writing, which are then placed in front of Thekla's grave.
Despite the spread of Islam , the veneration of saints is ubiquitous among Christians and Muslims in Syria . The firm Thekla belief ensured the monastery survival and prosperity. Many of the prayers offered in the grotto to Thekla are preceded by Quranic recitations . Childless Muslim women are said to have become pregnant after praying. Some couples have their child baptized as a sign of devotion .
Duties of the nuns
The monastery of Saint Thekla is directly dependent on the Patriarchate of Antioch and is administered by a superior abbess , the current incumbent Pelagia Sayyaf. Seven nuns and the superior live in the monastery. As in most Orthodox monasteries, their life consists mainly of daily prayer based on given orders. A nun's morning begins with an independent prayer, three days a week are reserved for common prayer.
Since the monastery is of great importance to the believing people of Qalamun and the Middle East through the shrine of Saint Thekla, the nuns receive visitors at any time and offer tours of the monastery. The constant spiritual activities of the monastery as well as the liturgy on Sundays and public holidays are observed.
The other tasks of the nuns include cleaning and maintaining the monastery building. The most experienced nun is responsible for the special care of the grotto church. In addition, there are house and handicraft activities such as sewing, embroidery, making rosaries and decorating the icons with jewelry. Since Pelagia Sayyaf was appointed Mother Superior, the nuns have also run a small orphanage .
The entire daily requirement of the nuns is covered from the neighboring village of Maalula. The monastery is only left to supervise agricultural work in the nearby fields or for shopping in Damascus , as there is an expanded range of goods there. These trips are often combined with a visit to the patriarchate.
Icons
The icons are located in the monastery church "John the Baptist", in the Heilgen grotto and in the wing of the Mother Superior. Most of the icons date from the middle of the 18th to the end of the 19th century.
Three icons of the patriarchate Sylvestros from the 18th century are exhibited in the monastery church.
- The first icon shows Jesus Christ blessing with his right hand . In his left hand he holds the Gospel , which is on his lap. John the Baptist stands on the left, leans on Christ and also blesses with his right hand. His left hand is holding a document written in Arabic with the verse: "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!" ( John 1:29 ELB )
- The second icon represents the Virgin Mary . The child on her left arm turns toward her while looking at the visitor. To the right of the mother stands Saint Thekla, who carries a decorative metal cross in her right hand and shows the greeting of peace with her left .
- The third icon is dedicated to the Annunciation . The Archangel Gabriel gives Mary a rose, which she accepts.
There are two other icons in the grotto.
- The first icon illustrates the resurrection . Christ, transfigured in the light, blesses with his right hand and carries a banner in his left. An angel sits to his right, and perfumed women to the left. In the lower part there are three guards in different positions. There is a city in the background and the first morning light is reflected in the surrounding gardens.
- The second icon represents the birth of the Virgin Mary. She is raised as a baby on the hand of an angel to be crowned and endowed with the Holy Spirit .
There are other paintings in the wing of the Mother Superior. These represent the Archangel Michael , the Ethiopian Moses and the prophet Elijah . The latter sits in front of the door of his cave while the ravens bring him food.
The sanctuary of the monastery church contains an icon with two saints, it is believed that these are the martyrs Kosmas and Damian .
The icons from the 19th century can also be found in the monastery church. The main group on the upper register of the iconostasis represents the birth of the Virgin Mary, the purification, the ascension of Mary , the baptism of Christ , the transfiguration of the Lord , the removal of Jesus from the cross , the resurrection and the sending of the Holy Spirit .
Three large symbols are painted separately on fabric. The first fabric icon represents Saint Thekla, the other two show a selection of biblical and hagiographic scenes.
A wooden cross in the monastery church shows Jesus crucified, under the cross there are Mary, the apostle John and the four evangelist symbols . Nearby is an icon of Saints Sergius and Bakchos , both on horseback and wearing military uniforms.
The last group belongs to the Jerusalem School. This is known for its fusion of traditional Eastern iconography and European painting. The most famous of these artists, Michael Mhanna al Qudsi, created four icons.
In the Syrian civil war
After several attacks and temporary occupations from September 2013 onwards, Islamist rebels from the Al-Nusra Front captured Maalula on December 3, 2013 and took the superior, twelve nuns and two domestic servants of the monastery of Saint Thekla hostage. They were held in Yabrud for three months until they were released on March 9, 2014 as part of a prisoner exchange, for which 150 women were released from government prisons. On April 14, 2014, with the support of Hezbollah and local Christian volunteers, the government troops succeeded in retaking Maalula and driving out the Islamists. As of 2014, the badly damaged monastery was renovated and the nuns returned. In August 2018, the repaired monastery was reopened to visitors. The Russian army assisted the nuns in the restoration. Instead of the destroyed icons in the Monastery of Saint Thekla, there are now icons from Russia donated by Russian officers and soldiers.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g The Convent of St Thecla Ma'lula. Retrieved on August 19, 2019 .
- ↑ Maalula Monasteries, Syria. In: sacred destinations.com. Retrieved on August 24, 2019 .
- ↑ Umberto Bacchi: Syria Nun Kidnapping: Greek Orthodox Patriarch Urges Release of Maaloula Sisters. International Business Times UK, 3rd December 2013.
- ↑ Karin Leukefeld : You want to extinguish us Christians. Katholisch.de, June 17, 2014.
- ^ Salma Abdelaziz and Ashley Fantz: Reports: 13 nuns freed by kidnappers in Syria. CNN, March 9, 2014.
- ^ Syria rebels driven from Christian town of Maaloula. BBC News, April 14, 2014.
- ↑ St. Thekla Monastery in Maaloula, Syria opens after being looted by militants. Orthodox Christianity (orthochristian.com), August 6, 2018.
- ↑ Peter's pupil: Syria - past and present . In: In the land of the Lord. Franciscan magazine for the Holy Land , vol. 73, 2/2019, pp. 54–75, here pp. 71–75 ( A trip to Christian sites: Sednaye and Ma'alula ). ( PDF )
Coordinates: 33 ° 50 ′ 49.1 ″ N , 36 ° 32 ′ 48.8 ″ E