Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Mar Taqla, the second monastery, holds the remains of St Thecla; daughter of one of the
Seleucid princes, and a pupil of St. Paul in the 1
st
Century. In the various chronicles she was
described as a young noble virgin who listened to Paul's "discourse on virginity" and be-
came Paul's follower. Thecla's mother and fiancé became concerned that Thecla would fol-
low Paul's demand about living in chastity and they sought to punish both Paul and Thecla
for frustrating their ambitions.
Thecla was miraculously saved from being burned at the stake by a storm, and traveled
with Paul to Pisidian Antioch. There a nobleman desired Thecla and attempted to take her
by force. She fought him off, assaulting him in the process, and was put on trial for assault-
ing a nobleman. She was sentenced to be eaten by wild beasts, but was again saved by a
series of miracles.
According to legend Thecla, being pursued by soldiers, came upon a mountain, and after
praying, the mountain split open and let her escape through the resulting chasm, from
which the town gets its name.
We walked through the chasm that snaked its way for about a kilometre to reach the church.
There was evidence of early tombs along the path and at one point the path opened out
two women were kneeling in prayer. They were completely enveloped in black, providing
a further example of a site being equally venerated by Christians and Muslims alike.
On reaching the church we could see caves, occupied during centuries past, and on the op-
posite hillside, a cross stencilled onto the vertical rock face.
The temperature had soared and was intensified to a punishing level by the bare rock.
As with the previous monastery, the icons in the church covering the walls and ceiling were
superb examples of the ancient art. The dollar value of these images must be astronomical
while their spiritual value is immeasurable. .
The next stop on our road back to Damascus was at Seidnayya. The landscape was stark
and it appears that at one time the populous all lived in the numerous caves spread across
the hillsides.
The town was located high above the surrounding valley, with several monasteries higher
up the mountain. One of these is the Cherubim Monastery, which at 2000 metres above sea
level overlooks Damascus and the mountains of Lebanon.
