Der Mar Georges (St. George) Monastery par syrialooks

St. George's Monastery (in Arabic دير مار جرجس, Deir Mar Jirjis) is a Greek Orthodox monastery located in northwestern Syria's &quot;Valley of the Christians&quot; (Wadi Nasara) just a few km north of the famous castle Krak des Chevaliers. The valley is a regional centre of the Greek Orthodox Christianity since the 6th century. 27 of its 32 villages are today Christian, four are mainly poulated by Alawi Muslims and only one, Al Qalaa just under the Krak des Chevaliers, is Sunni Muslim. St. George's MonasterySome sources claim the monastery dates to the late 5th century, for sure it stood in the 6th century during the Justinian I reign. Today it is dominated by modern buildings. The new church was built in 1857. Its entrance features a triple arch and two central supporting columns of Byzantine origin. Inside the church there is a carved wooden iconostasis. Its gold painted icons depict various scenes from the life of Christ. Beneath the monastery's main courtyard there is an older 13th century chapel with a smaller iconostasis, older than 300 years. Its icons depict scenes from the life of St. George (a popular saint among Middle Eastern Christians). At this lower level there is also an entrance to what is believed to be the original 6th century monastery and several large amphoras. The monastery is busiest during pilgrimages at the feast of St. George (May 6) and the feast of the elevation of the Holy Cross (September 14). <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._George's_Monastery,_Syria" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._George's_Monastery,_Syria</a>