St. Stephen of Mar Saba Monastery

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The St. Stephen of Mar Saba Monastery hangs dramatically down the cliff edge of the Kidron Valley—the Valley that divides the Temple Mount and the Mt. of Olives in Jerusalem, and runs toward the Dead Sea. It is an ancient monastery, established in the 5th century about 9 miles east of Bethlehem, by St. Sabas (Mar Saba in Arabic), a monk from Turkey.

It has almost been continuously occupied since its beginning, ranking it with the St. Catherine’s Monastery (at the foot of Mt. Sinai) as one of the oldest inhabited monasteries in the world. At its peak, more than three hundred monks made their residence there. Today the number is around twenty.

Interestingly, Mar Saba is closed to women. There is a “Women’s Tower” from which they can see the complex. According to tradition, St. Saba’s mother, who also was not allowed to enter the monastery, built this vantage point. 

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