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Mountain Ridge

Advancing shadows at the end of the day distinguish a ridge from the mountain behind it. On the other side of the ridge is the hesychasterion of Saints Galakteon and Episteme. A double barred metal cross is visible on the mountaintop in the distance.

When the Elder Paisios lived at the hermitage, at night he would climb to the top of the ridge, from where the monastery is visible far below. There he would pray for the monks and for the whole world.

4 comments to Mountain Ridge

  • Maria

    Thanks Father Justin,
    This photograph reminds me of the lovely moments, holy moments, in the Kelli of Saint Paisios .., two years ago …

  • Caroline lees

    Isn’t the double barred crioss ‘eastern’? I mean like Russian Orthodox? Maybe put up by a visitor from one of that branch?…

    • Father Justin

      There are many different styles of crosses, and Greeks have never settled on only one of them, though many call the equal barred cross the Greek cross. From the sixteenth century, Moscow settled on the cross that has a smaller title bar above the horizontal bar, and a lower bar, which is always slanted backhand. This is uniquely the Russian Orthodox cross.

      The cross above the heychasterion of Saints Galakteon and Episteme has a bar above the horizontal bar, but the two are almost the same length. There is no lower bar. So it is a variation of the cross, but not the Russian Orthodox cross.

      H V Morton published Through Lands of the Bible in 1938. When he visited Sinai, he mentioned that one of the monks was placing crosses so that each promontory around the monastery would be surmounted by a cross. I do not know if the double barred cross was a part of that campaign, or if it was set in place earlier, or later.

  • Caroline Lees

    Thank you Father. How interesting all this is.. I think if I remember correctly being told that the lower bar of the Russian cross tilts towards the good thief. I may have got that wrong of course…..

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