The monastery was established in 483 on the eastern side of the Kidron Valley by Sabbas the Sanctified, when, according to the monastery’s own website, the first 70 hermits gathered around St. Sabbas’ hermitage. Later, the laura moved to the western side of the canyon, on the opposite side from where the Church of Theoktistos was constructed in 486 and dedicated in 491. The Church of the God-bearing Virgin Mary, or Theotokos in Greek, was shortly constructed in 502 to serve as the monastery’s primary church due to the community’s ongoing development.

Twenty monks were massacred in 797, according to historical records, after an Arab raid on the monastery.

The well-known Georgian monk and scribe Ioane-Zosime lived at Mar Saba before relocating to Saint Catherine’s Monastery and bringing with him a number of parchment manuscripts.

Throughout the time that the Crusaders’ Catholic Kingdom of Jerusalem was in existence, the monastery maintained its prominence.

According to legend, the infant Jesus and his family sought safety in the Grotto during the Massacre of the Innocents before escaping to Egypt. The term “Grotto” stems from the myth that while The Virgin Mary was breastfeeding Baby Jesus, a drop of her milk accidentally dropped down the cave floor, rendering it white. To protect the Grotto, a church was erected above it in the fifth century. In the courtyard of the current chapel, remnants of a vibrant mosaic floor from that era may be observed.

Women without children of all faiths have been to the Grotto for generations to make fertility-related prayers. Women believe that by adding the soft white chalk from the grotto to their food and praying to Our Lady of the Milk, their milk production will rise or they will be able to conceive. The Grotto’s “milk powder” and prayers have a powerful effect, as seen by the rows of framed letters and baby images from all over the world. The powder may only be purchased on-site at the temple; it cannot be ordered or imported.

In the fifth century, a church was erected on top of the grotto. It is thought that the ruins of a stunning mosaic discovered in the grotto’s courtyard date from this time.

The legend that a drop of Mary’s milk accidentally fell upon the cave floor and rendered it entirely white is the source of the grotto’s name. The interior of the grotto is covered with a milky white rock that possesses mystical properties. Women without children from all religions have long traveled to the Milk Grotto to make a pilgrimage and beg for the gift of progeny. Some pilgrims will bring the stone powder with them and distribute it to others who are unable to conceive.

The old God’s Trail leads to the village church of St. Catherine, which is situated at a lovely vantage position in Hom close to Zasip. A balcony that was constructed at the beginning of the 16th century and several paintings can be seen in this Gothic-style cathedral that dates to approximately 1400. The presbytery is older than the church, which was baroqueized in the 18th century, as seen by the altar’s ornamentation. The walls of the camp’s ruins are still clearly visible.

In the past, the church was well renowned for its St. Catherine’s Day pilgrimages, when people from all across the nation traveled the God’s Trail to save their sanity.

The old God’s Trail leads to the village church of St. Catherine, which is situated at a lovely vantage position in Hom close to Zasip. A balcony that was constructed at the beginning of the 16th century and several paintings can be seen in this Gothic-style cathedral that dates to approximately 1400. The presbytery is older than the church, which was baroqueized in the 18th century, as seen by the altar’s ornamentation. The walls of the camp’s ruins are still clearly visible.

In the past, the church was well renowned for its St. Catherine’s Day pilgrimages, when people from all across the nation traveled the God’s Trail to save their sanity.

St. Jerome spent 30 years translating the Bible from Hebrew and Greek into Latin in this underground study, which was comfortable in the summer but frigid in the winter.

Around AD 386, the learned Dalmatian priest started his work. He wrote the first recognized vernacular translation of the Bible in St. Jerome’s Cave. It was referred to as the Vulgate, and up until the 20th century, Catholics considered it to be the final word.

According to historian G. S. P. Freeman-Grenville, “surely more Christians than any other” heard this account.

Rather than having a single founder, the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel was established by a group of hermits who lived near to the “Spring of Elijah” on Mount Carmel and had the Virgin Mary and the Prophet Elijah as the foundations of their devotion. The hermits were given a code of conduct at the start of the 13th century that was penned by Saint Albert, Patriarch of Jerusalem.

But because the Saracens had conquered the nation at the turn of the century, they were forced to flee. They eventually established monasteries for friars and then nuns all throughout Europe.

Jacob and his family were not far from Bethlehem when Rachel passed away. However, he did not bring his dearest wife Rachel to be buried in that town, nor did he take her with him to Hebron; instead, he interred her on the side of the road in a remote area.

It was God’s plan. The Jews would later be expelled from their homes and sent into exile in Babylon as a result of the destruction of the First Temple in 423 BCE. They would pass this route specifically while on their dejected march and sob to Rachel. Her presence would give them confidence, and she would pray to God on their behalf.

Two aqueducts that brought water to Jerusalem in the late Second Temple era were fueled by water from Solomon’s Pools. The “Low-level Aqueduct,” the earliest one, is estimated to have been constructed in the first century BCE, close to the end of the Hasmonean era. It provided water to cisterns that were principally utilized by the Temple and were situated below the Temple Mount. The “High-Level Aqueduct,” a second aqueduct,