The Monastery of Mar Saba (the Great Laura) is one of the oldest inhabited monasteries in the world, perched on the cliff face of the Kidron Valley gorge in the Judean Desert, 15 kilometers east of Bethlehem. Founded in 483 CE by the monk Sabas, the monastery has been continuously inhabited by Greek Orthodox monks for over 1,500 years.
The Setting
Mar Saba is built into the vertical walls of a gorge so deep and so dry that it could be the surface of another planet. The monastery cascades down the cliff face in a series of terraces, domes, and walls that seem to grow out of the rock itself. The blue dome of the main church, the defensive walls, and the monks’ cells are visible from across the gorge, clinging to the cliff like a nest. The landscape is utterly barren: no trees, no grass, no sound except the wind. The monks chose this place precisely because it was the edge of the world.
History
Sabas came to the desert from Cappadocia (modern Turkey) and spent years as a solitary hermit in caves before founding the monastery. At its peak, the laura (a community of monks living in individual caves but gathering for communal prayer) housed hundreds of monks. The monastery produced some of the great figures of Christian theology, including John of Damascus, whose writings on icons and theology remain central to Eastern Orthodox thought. The monastery was attacked multiple times, including a devastating Persian raid in 614 CE that killed the monks, but it was rebuilt each time.
Typikon of Sabas
Sabas’s greatest legacy may not be the monastery itself but the liturgical rule he wrote. The Typikon of Mar Saba established the daily cycle of prayers, hymns, and readings that monks follow throughout the year. It was adopted across the Eastern Orthodox world and remains the foundation of Orthodox worship to this day. Every time an Orthodox service is celebrated, from Moscow to Athens to Addis Ababa, it follows a pattern that originated in this desert gorge.
John of Damascus
The most famous monk of Mar Saba was John of Damascus (c. 675-749), who entered the monastery after serving as a senior official in the Umayyad court. His theological writings, especially “The Fount of Knowledge” and his defense of icons during the Iconoclasm controversy, became foundational texts of Eastern Orthodoxy. John also composed some of the most important hymns in the Orthodox tradition, including the Easter canon still sung in churches worldwide. He lived and wrote in a cave cell overlooking the gorge, producing works of intellectual brilliance in a setting of extreme austerity.
Visiting
Mar Saba does not admit women, a rule that has been in place since its founding. Male visitors are welcome during limited hours. The monastery can be viewed from the opposite side of the gorge, where a women’s tower provides a panoramic view of the monastery and the desert. The view alone, especially in the golden light of late afternoon, is worth the trip.
Visit with Hoshen Tours
Mar Saba is one of the most visually spectacular sites in Israel. Hoshen Tours includes it for groups interested in desert monasticism and the extreme devotion that drove monks to build in the most inhospitable places on earth.