The first arch on descending the Steps of Repentance in late afternoon.
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On making the ascent by the ancient Steps of Repentance, pilgrims pass the Chapel of the Oikonomissa, and then climb to the first of two arches.
The arch is visible high above.
A view from the landing below the arch.
On the left, a faint inscription shows a hand with an extended index finger pointing to the Greek word OPOY, ‘of the mountain’, surmounted by a cross. A diagram below directs the pilgrim to pass through the arch and bear left. To the left, one can see the ruins of a stone dam built to retain the rainwater. This replenished the wells, and provided water for simple gardens on the high Sinai plateau.
Erosion over many years has weathered massive granite boulders into gentle wave patterns.
From the edge of a cliff, the monastery can be seen far below just at sunrise.
The Chapel of Saint Gregory of Sinai viewed from a precipice above, and in the distance, the Chapel of Saint John the Forerunner.
The Sinai hawthorn tree has small white blossoms. These later set berries that turn red when they are ripe.
The Chapel of Saint John the Forerunner, on the high Sinai plateau. It is a short distance from the Chapel of Saint Gregory of Sinai. The tree to the left is a Sinai hawthorn (Crataegus sinaica).
The Chapel of Saint Anne at night, lit by a single candle.
The holy night of Pascha. We had pilgrims from Egypt, from Greece, and from Russia. There were many Russian children, a new development for this ancient monastery.
Νυνὶ δὲ Χριστὸς ἐγήγερται ἐκ νεκρῶν, ἀπαρχὴ τῶν κεκοιμημένων ἐγένετο. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 1 Corinthians 15:20 |
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