Saint Gerasimus and the lion
Viewed from above, it appears to be an oasis of peace and greenery in the desert. It is the two stone lions on the threshold that provide the first clues to the miraculous history of one of the ancient desert monasteries of the Jordan Valley. It is the Greek Orthodox one of St. Gerasimos, a hermit saint who lived in the fifth century AD, whose laura (small monastic settlement) was the heart of more than 70 hermitages. St. Gerasimos' fame as a thaumaturge is linked to his legendary friendship with a lion. It is John Moschus-a Byzantine writer and monk who died in Rome in 619-who recounts the foil of the day when St. Gerasimus encountered a lion limping because he was stung by a thorn, which had infected his paw. The hermit healed it for him and, in gratitude, never left him again until his death. "On the day St. Gerasimus died, the lion was at the river with the other animals fetching water. A monk who lived there said to him: come, I will show you the tomb. When the lion saw it and realized that St. Gerasimus was dead, he roared loudly and died there." ANDREAS SOLOMOY - Monastery of St. Gerasimus - Jericho
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Loved that story. Thank you for posting it. Who said animals don't have emotions? I had plenty of animals. I know for a fact they do. What a Holy Monk that even animals knew and understood.
Kloster St. Gerasimos
Die Landstraße 90 verbindet den Norden Israels mit dem Süden und endet in der Stadt Eilat. Über diese Landstraße ist auch das Kloster St. Gerasimos zu erreichen und zwar liegt die Ausfahrt zwischen Jericho und Beit HaArava von Norden kommend auf der linken Seite. Geographisch gesehen liegt das Kloster unterhalb der Einmündung des Wadi el-Murar in den Jordan. Das griechisch-orthodoxe Kloster St. Gerasimos ist eines der ältesten Klöster in Palästina. Es wurde von dem Mönch Gerasimos um 445 n. Chr. hier an dieser Stelle gegründet, wo man einst die Taufstelle Jesu vermutete. Der Jordan als Ort der Taufe ist allerdings noch etwa 4 Kilometer (Qasr al-Yahud) von dieser Stelle entfernt. Die Mauern des Klosters St. Gerasimos sind umgeben von Bäumen, lediglich in Richtung zum Jordan nach Osten wird das Gelände trocken und unfruchtbar.