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Δευτέρα 7 Αυγούστου 2017
Chapel at Midday .From the Pilgrimage of Egeria, who visited Sinai around the year 383:
The chapel at
the peak of Mount Sinai, photographed at midday. The present chapel preserves
the core of the much larger sixth century church, built at the site of the
fourth century chapel.
From the Pilgrimage of Egeria, who visited Sinai around the year 383:
By this way,
then, at the bidding of Christ our God, and helped by the prayers of the holy
men who accompanied us, we arrived, at the fourth hour, at the summit of Sinai,
the holy mountain of God, where the law was given, that is, at the place where
the Glory of the Lord descended on the day when the mountain smoked. Thus the
toil was great, for I had to go up on foot, the ascent being impossible in the
saddle, and yet I did not feel the toil, on the side of the ascent, I say, I
did not feel the toil, because I realized that the desire which I had was being
fulfilled at God’s bidding. In that place there is now a church, not great in
size, for the place itself, that is the summit of the mountain, is not very
great; nevertheless, the church itself is great in grace. When, therefore, at
God’s bidding, we had arrived at the summit, and had reached the door of the
church, lo, the priest who was appointed to the church came from his cell and met
us, a hale old man, a monk from early life, and an ascetic, as they say here,
in short one worthy to be in that place; the other priests also met us,
together with all the monks who dwelt on the mountain, that is, such as were
not hindered by age or infirmity. No one, however, dwells on the very summit of
the central mountain; there is nothing there excepting only the church and the
cave where holy Moses was. When the whole passage from the book of Moses had
been read in that place, and when the oblation had been duly made, at which we
communicated, and as we were coming out of the church, the priests of the place
gave us eulogiae that is, of fruits which grow on the mountain. For although
the holy mountain Sinai is rocky throughout, so that it has not even a shrub on
it, yet down below, near the foot of the mountains, around either the central
height or those which encircle it, there is a little plot of ground where the
holy monks diligently plant little trees and orchards, and set up oratories
with cells near to them, so that they may gather fruits which they have
evidently cultivated with their own hands from the soil of the very mountain
itself.
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