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Snow on the Mountains

The precipitous mountains that surround this desert monastery covered in snow. To the right are cedar trees that grow in the monastery garden.

The Monastery in Snow

Last winter, we had a storm that left the monastery and the stark granite mountains covered in snow.

Chapel of the Prophet Aaron

The Chapel of the Prophet Aaron is a short distance to the west of the monastery. We celebrate the Liturgy there on the Sunday before the feast of the Nativity of Christ, when commemoration is made of all the ancestors of Christ, as well as the prophets and prophetesses.

The service begins when it […]

The Flight Into Egypt

And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took […]

A Silver Polycandelon

On important feast days, we light the lamps on a polycandelon, or oil lamp chandelier, made of silver and partially gilt. Two tiers of branches in the form of dragons support the lamps, with a double headed eagle on top, and a round finial beneath. The whole is covered with a profuse decoration of stylized […]