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The Holy Lavra of Saint Sabbas, also known as Mar Saba, is a monastery in the desert of Palestine. It’s halfway between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea.
Brief History of the Holy Lavra of Saint Sabbas
The Holy Lavra of Saint Sabbas was founded in 483 by St. Sabbas the Sanctified. It’s one of the oldest continuously inhabited monasteries in the world and still maintains most of its ancient traditions.
The monastery was destroyed by the Sassanids in 614, but was rebuilt and has been important in the Orthodox world ever since. In 1504, the monastery was purchased by Serbian monks after it had been abandoned due to Bedouin raids. They were forced to sell it to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem in the 1630s due to mounting debt.
Importance of the Monastery
The Holy Lavra of Saint Sabbas was the home of St. John of Damascus, who was an important figure in the Iconoclasm controversy. It was also important in the development of the Divine Liturgy. The manner in which the monks at the monastery celebrated the Liturgy became the standard throughout the Orthodox world. This standard further evolved at the Monastery of Stoudios in Constantinople (now in Samatya, Istanbul, Turkey). Tradition states that the Holy Lavra of Saint Sabbas will host the last Divine Liturgy on Earth before the Second Coming of Jesus.
Visiting the Holy Lavra of Saint Sabbas
The monastery is open to visitors daily except Wednesdays and Fridays. Women are not allowed to enter the compound. Men must dress modestly and speak quietly. No photos are allowed within the compound.
The monastery is a short drive from the village of al-Ubeidiya. You can combine it with a visit to the Monastery of Saint Theodosius.
My Experience at the Monastery
When I entered, I was only able to take a few photos between the main gate and the entrance to the courtyard. The courtyard contains the tomb of St. Sabbas. His remains were stolen by the Crusaders in the 12th century and taken to Italy. They were kept there until 1965, when Pope Paul VI returned them to the monastery in a gesture of goodwill towards Orthodox Christians. The tomb is empty because the relics of the saint are kept in the church.
Next, we visited the main church, which is a 6th century Byzantine basilica. It was decorated with historic icons. Attached to the church is the sacristy, which is actually an ancient chapel.
The monk who greeted us then took us to the balcony. We were able to take photos of the monastic caves across the gorge surrounding the monastery. A priest with our group mentioned that some of the caves are still inhabited by monks.
Finally, we entered a small cave church dedicated to St. Nicholas. It was the very first church in the monastery and was inaugurated by St. Sabbas himself. We then sat in a small room where the monks offered candy and cold water.
The monks were quite direct and not very talkative, but they were still welcoming. One of them explained that they have to be in a constant state of prayer. Once they choose to live at the monastery, they aren’t allowed to have contact with any women. Even hearing the voice of a woman would break their prayer.
Women’s Tower
The only part of the monastery where women are allowed to enter is the Women’s Tower. It’s located via a stone stairway near the entrance. Marisol visited the Women’s Tower and took some photos of the monastery while I was inside visiting.
