The Monastery and Church of Saint George in Al-Khader () is an Eastern Orthodox Christian religious site in the Palestinian town of al-Khader, near Beit Jala and Bethlehem, in West Bank, Palestine. The town of Al-Khader is named after Saint George, who in Arab culture is known as "al-Khadr"; the church is considered to be the most important sanctuary to al-Khadr in Palestine.Procházka-Eisl, Gisela, and Stephan Procházka. “Muslim Sanctuaries in and around Jerusalem Revisited.” Wiener Zeitschrift Für Die Kunde Des Morgenlandes, vol. 95, 2005, pp. 163–94. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23862773. "'Abd al-Gham an-Nabulusi passed it in 1690 and called it Maqam al-Khadir Abi l-'Abbäs. All earlier descriptions agreed that this is the most important al Khadir-sanctuary in the whole of Palestine. It is most famous for curing madness and possession by evil spirits."

According to local tradition, Saint George was imprisoned in the town of al-Khader, where the current church stands. The chains holding him were relics that were said to hold healing power..

History Crusader/Ayyubid and Mamluk periods In the thirteenth century, an anonymous Greek text noted: ‘After Bait Jala, there is to be seen the church of the Great George; and in it is kept the chain that was laid on his back’.Pringle, 1993, p. 296

Around 1421/1422 the Church of St. George was mentioned by Western traveler John Poloner as situated on a hill near Bethlehem.Poloner, 1894, p. 18Conder and Kitchener, 1883, SWP III, p. 26 In 1480 Felix Fabri noted: "At the side of this church there was once a great and fair monastery of Greek monks, but now it has been laid in ruins, and their remains only a little hovel, leaning against the church, wherein two Greek monks dwell."Fabri, 1893, p. 203

Ottoman period Around 1740, Richard Pococke still noted it as a Greek convent,Pococke, 1745, p. 44 but in 1838, when Edward Robinson passed, the former church had become a mosque.Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol. 1, p. 321Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol. 2, pp. 324-5

In 1863, Victor Guérin noted "As for the convent or Deir el-Khadher, it is not very considerable and does not seem so old. It is administered by a single religious Greek, assisted by two brothers and a few servants. A small number of narrow cells are reserved for foreigners. A solid, iron-clad door gives access to the interior of the cloister."Guérin, 1869, pp. 310-312

During the late 19th century, part of the convent were used for the mentally ill.Socin, 1879, p. 149Baldensperger, 1906, pp. 196-197

The modern church was built in 1912 but the remains of the chapel date back to the 16th century. The edifice has an Eastern Orthodox interior, and the dome contains a portrait of Christ Pantocrator.El-Khader - Bethlehem This Week in Palestine

Modern era The Feast of Saint George is an annual popular celebratory ritual in Palestine and draws both Christians and Muslims from the Bethlehem area and beyond to the church and monastery on May 5 and 6 to mark it. People come to pay homage, give thanks or receive blessings and protection. A special holy bread is made for this feast, some plain, other versions stamped with a cross or the image of Saint George slaying the dragon.

Those seeking special blessings, particularly protection or healing, line up to kiss and pass the chains with which Saint George was bound overtheir heads (three times) and then step over them. Others might use the oil under the main icon of Saint George in the church, dipping their fingers into it and making the sign of cross. Reverence for Saint George or al Khader ("the green one") transcends religious sect in Palestine, so that Muslims, and even Western Christians, all partake in this commemoration at the Orthodox Christian site.

Gallery

See also Saint George: Devotions, traditions and prayers St George's Church (disambiguation) Feast of Saint George (Palestine) Saint George (disambiguation) Church of Saint George (Tulkarm) Dome of Al-Khidr Church of Saint George and Mosque of Al-Khadr

References

Bibliography

External links

Survey of Western Palestine, Map 17: IAA, Wikimedia commons