Old monastery now a ‘living church’
– thanks to the Bible

St George’s monastery: site of a revival Western Christians can only dream about. Photo: Norwegian BS/Dag Smemo (SYR03DJ-3.JPG)

SYRIA — The ancient monastery of St George Al-Humayrah lies baking in the sun in the Wadi An-Nadara (Valley of Christians), just as it has done since the sixth century. Originally established as a small hermitage, it was spared from ruin during the seventh century by a treaty that ensured its safety when the Muslims conquered the country. But despite its survival over a long and turbulent history, the monastery’s spiritual significance slowly faded and by the early 1990s it was mainly seen as a tourist attraction.

Revival

Since then, however, it has been the site of a revival that Christians in the West can only dream about. Today it is a thriving centre of biblical teaching and outreach, serving an area inhabited by about 70,000 Syrian Orthodox Christians. The Bible is at the heart of this revival, according to Archimandrite Athansios Fahed, who teaches Christian Ethics in the monastery’s School of Ecclesiastical Studies.

“In 1993, not one New Testament was to be found here,” he says. “There was no spiritual power here – even the buildings were not taken care of. The priest did his work and no more. But now, the situation is entirely different and we have brought Orthodox Christianity back. In the beginning it was very difficult but today we have a living church.”

The ministry of St George’s is Bible-based and has a particular emphasis on children and young people. One of the monastery’s aims, according to Fr Athansios, is to guide children throughout their formative years, “from early childhood until they are married.”

This focus has borne fruit: the monastery’s 15 week-long summer camps from May to September are always fully booked, with each camp catering for between 80 and 200 children. During the summer months last year, the monastery’s 13th-century church was alive with hundreds of young families who had come to have their children baptised.

Distribution

As well as organising events in its grounds, the monastery also runs classes about the Bible and Christian life in 40 villages in the region, which are attended by adults and about 7,000 children aged between six and 15. Last year, before Christmas, the monastery distributed about 3,800 Scriptures to people in the villages who did not have their own Bibles.

With its emphasis on biblical studies, St George’s has also become a respected academic institution, with Orthodox theological students spending the first two years of their studies at the School of Ecclesiastical Studies before continuing their training in Lebanon.

During religious holidays, the monastery is a main centre of attraction for Orthodox believers who travel from near and far to participate in the services and celebrations. It has also not lost its historical interest for tourists, and many visit St George’s during the summer months. (WR 378/9 - 7/8.03)