The Monastery of Saint Gerassimos
The Monastery of Saint Gerassimos
The Monastery of Saint Gerassimos
4.5
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Plan your visit
The area
Best nearby
Restaurants
17 within 5 kms
Attractions
13 within 10 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
36 reviews
Excellent
20
Very good
13
Average
2
Poor
1
Terrible
0
наталья е
Vladivostok, Russia875 contributions
Oct 2014 • Friends
The Monastery is named after Saint Gerassimos. He is easily recognized on any icon - always pictured with a lion.
The story dates back to the 5th century (455 AD), when Gerassimos was an abbot living in a monastery about a mile from the River Jordan . Once walking in the desert he came upon a lion roaring in pain caused by a thorn stuck in one’s paw. Gerassimos was fearless enough to approach the lion, remove the thorn, clean the wound and bind it up. Afterwards the animal followed the monk to the monastery and stayed there ever after. The lion was named Jordanes and converted to the peaceful life of eating bread and vegetables only – no meat! This is just the beginning of the exciting story about Gerassimos, the lion, three camels, thieves, merchants, a stolen donkey etc. , but to cut the story short let’s get back to the Monastery itself.
In 1976, when the Greek monk Chrysostomos arrived there , the place was in ruins with no visible signs of any possible restoration.
Forty years later the monk became Archimandrite Chrysostomos and the Monastery turned into the real oasis in the desert with 18 hectares of greenery abound in blossoming trees, fragrant flowers, singing birds and the whole set of domestic animals ranging from rabbits to horses.
There is even a talking parrot, living in a cage in the inner yard, but in the time of our visit it was not in the talkative mood ignoring us completely. Hope for more luck next time.
It’s a pity our visit was limited to just a couple of hours – all future guests are strongly recommended to allocate much more time for the tour. Or there is another option – book with the Monastery pilgrimage center, stay overnight and learn everything about the lion story, the nun Christodouli and her pets’ tale and a lot of others myths, tales and legends pertaining to this fantastic place.
The story dates back to the 5th century (455 AD), when Gerassimos was an abbot living in a monastery about a mile from the River Jordan . Once walking in the desert he came upon a lion roaring in pain caused by a thorn stuck in one’s paw. Gerassimos was fearless enough to approach the lion, remove the thorn, clean the wound and bind it up. Afterwards the animal followed the monk to the monastery and stayed there ever after. The lion was named Jordanes and converted to the peaceful life of eating bread and vegetables only – no meat! This is just the beginning of the exciting story about Gerassimos, the lion, three camels, thieves, merchants, a stolen donkey etc. , but to cut the story short let’s get back to the Monastery itself.
In 1976, when the Greek monk Chrysostomos arrived there , the place was in ruins with no visible signs of any possible restoration.
Forty years later the monk became Archimandrite Chrysostomos and the Monastery turned into the real oasis in the desert with 18 hectares of greenery abound in blossoming trees, fragrant flowers, singing birds and the whole set of domestic animals ranging from rabbits to horses.
There is even a talking parrot, living in a cage in the inner yard, but in the time of our visit it was not in the talkative mood ignoring us completely. Hope for more luck next time.
It’s a pity our visit was limited to just a couple of hours – all future guests are strongly recommended to allocate much more time for the tour. Or there is another option – book with the Monastery pilgrimage center, stay overnight and learn everything about the lion story, the nun Christodouli and her pets’ tale and a lot of others myths, tales and legends pertaining to this fantastic place.
Written July 11, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
litanies
Patras, Greece140 contributions
Jun 2019 • Friends
Another stop to the orthodox monasteries around Israel, a must see monastery, with a big statue of Alexander the Great too.
Written June 17, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
S L
Calexico, CA654 contributions
Oct 2018 • Family
We visited this site because our Jericho guide kind of encouraged us to visit here. We arrived here and found this site pretty interesting but too religious. The monasteries are always built very nice with great architecture and design but it was too religious for me when they had these guys skulls on display. The skulls belong to the martyrs (maybe of St. Gerassimo), that were first martyr in this area of Jericho. One thing I saw was people making line to kiss the glass where their skulls were on display. That for me is too religious. Kissing skulls is not something I would do, it kind of freaked me out. Overall Good site to visit, more so if you are Catholic, Greek orthodox, or are into any worship of saints.
Written February 23, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AntJa2704
Mainz, Germany191 contributions
Feb 2019
The Greek Orthodox monastery of Deir Hajla is about 30 minutes by car thouth of Jericho commemorates St. Gerasimus, whose lavra was nearby. The history of the monastery is also linked to another Christian narrative. The Holy Family were said to have found refuge in a cave here during their flight from Herod the Great. An underground chapel was built on the spot where the Holy Family is believed to have spent a night.
The founder allegedly is Gerasimus of the Jordan, or Holy Righteous Father Gerasimus of Jordan, also spelled Gerasimos or Gerasim. He was a Christian saint, monk and abbot of the 5th century AD. The site and the church are both in excellent conditions with wonderful mosaic floors from the mediaeval centuries. Worth a visit are the workshops that keep restoring the mosaics and all the other artefacts of the monastery.
The founder allegedly is Gerasimus of the Jordan, or Holy Righteous Father Gerasimus of Jordan, also spelled Gerasimos or Gerasim. He was a Christian saint, monk and abbot of the 5th century AD. The site and the church are both in excellent conditions with wonderful mosaic floors from the mediaeval centuries. Worth a visit are the workshops that keep restoring the mosaics and all the other artefacts of the monastery.
Written February 8, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SanDiegoGuy1
San Diego, California361 contributions
Oct 2017 • Solo
I agree with the other positive reviewers about this monastery.
Moreover, I especially enjoyed the quiet and solitude of the location and building. It was a time that I reflected on its place in human and Christian history.
Though not a major tourist destination like the location not far away where Jesus in reported to have been baptized by John the Baptist, or the Dead Sea. Still it is worthwhile to visit.
Moreover, I especially enjoyed the quiet and solitude of the location and building. It was a time that I reflected on its place in human and Christian history.
Though not a major tourist destination like the location not far away where Jesus in reported to have been baptized by John the Baptist, or the Dead Sea. Still it is worthwhile to visit.
Written September 4, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Carla B
Jericho, Palestinian Territories35 contributions
Sept 2019
The religious orthodox community is welcoming and very kind. The place is a bit confusing, between old and new buildings, luxuriant plants and exotic animals, recently redone mosaics positioned in place of the ancients without distinction. The place has very ancient origins, with a beautiful church and a lower chapel, but very little remains of the ancient, and above all it is not clear what, but it is worth visiting.
Written October 7, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sharonaer
Jerusalem, Israel84 contributions
Sept 2018 • Family
Saint Gerassimos monastery, aka Deir Hajle, can be easily spotted from the road descending from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea- a green island in the white desert surrounding it. This is a beautiful serene place where you can refresh and relax, discover the upper and lower (smaller) chapel, marvel the mosaic floors and enjoy the legend of Saint Gerassimos, the lion, the donkey etc. Entrance is free and there is ample parking space, but if you plan on using the tables for picnic, it will cost you 50 ILS per table.
Written October 3, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
scope_11
Ra'anana, Israel51 contributions
Jan 2018 • Family
This is a Greek Orthodox monestry, with a beautiful church.
The original church, which was built in the 5th century, is now ruins located about 200m from the new church, which was renovated in 1890.
The church has a golden cape, nice mosaics and greek orthodox decorations.
The monestry is close to estuary of the Jordan River into the Dead Sea.
I recommend to visit this monestey as part of a day visiting several attractions in the northern part of the Dead Sea, such as, Qasr Al Yahud, the Good Samaritan Museum, The Qumran National Park, and Massada.
These are excellent attractions.
The original church, which was built in the 5th century, is now ruins located about 200m from the new church, which was renovated in 1890.
The church has a golden cape, nice mosaics and greek orthodox decorations.
The monestry is close to estuary of the Jordan River into the Dead Sea.
I recommend to visit this monestey as part of a day visiting several attractions in the northern part of the Dead Sea, such as, Qasr Al Yahud, the Good Samaritan Museum, The Qumran National Park, and Massada.
These are excellent attractions.
Written January 20, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marina M
19 contributions
Jul 2017 • Family
Amazing History to see the place where the Virgin Mary rested on her runaway from Bethlehem to Egypt with Joseph and baby Jesus.
Written October 12, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dimple19
Mumbai, India741 contributions
Dec 2016 • Couples
Visited this gorgeous Greek monastery on our way to see of Galilee. In Arabic it is known as Deir Hajla, meaning the monastery of the partridge, a bird common to the area.The monastery is named after St. Gerassimos. The lower part shows paintings of Mother Mary feeding infant Jesus and the flooring depicts the lion who was saved by the saint. The upper church is stunning. This monastery is a must visit for all.
Written January 9, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Μπορω να επισκεπτω το μοναστηρι με ενοικιαζομενο αυτοκινητο;
Written August 15, 2018
Showing results 1-1 of 1
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing