The Monastery of the Temptation is a Greek Orthodox monastery located in Jericho, Palestine. It was built on the slopes of the Mount of Temptation 350 meters above sea level, situated along a cliff overlooking the city of Jericho and the Jordan Valley.
It currently serves as a tourist attraction and its land is under the full jurisdiction of the Palestinian National Authority, although the monastery is owned and managed by the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem.
Perched upon a sheer cliff face, Mount of Temptation Monastery looks out over panoramic views of the Jordan Valley, Dead Sea, and dramatic surrounding mountains. Regarded by the Orthodox church as the spot where the devil once tempted Jesus during the latter's 40-day fast, the site has existed in some form since 6 CE, developed and reconstructed over thousands of years. Ride the cable car or hike the steep 400 m incline to the summit. Once there, wonder at the impressive carving of the monastery, cut directly into the cliff face some 350 m above sea level.
Northwest of central Jericho, the hillside of Qarantal plays an important role in Christian tradition. This is a major point of interest for Christian visitors who know the hill as the Mount of Temptation, where Jesus Christ fasted after being baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. In AD 340, St. Chariton built a chapel on the hill summit, and another was built by the cave in which Jesus is said to have sheltered. The Greek Orthodox Church acquired the site in 1875 and in 1895 built the Sarandarion Monastery (the name refers to the 40 days of Jesus' fast) halfway up the hill. From the monastery, a steep path runs up to the summit on which you can visit the remains of St. Chariton's original chapel. The views from the top across the arid hills are fantastic. For those that don't fancy the hike, the Jericho Cable Car runs from Jericho up to the summit, with excellent views across the countryside along the way.
It has interesting history by self.
A fortress built by the Seleucids called "Doq" stood at the summit of the mountain. It was captured by the Hasmoneans and it was here that Simon Maccabaeus was murdered by his son-in-law Ptolemy.
The earliest monastery was constructed by the Byzantines in the 6th century CE above the cave traditionally said to be that where Jesus spent forty days and forty nights fasting and meditating during the temptation of Satan, about three kilometers northwest of Jericho. The monastery receives its name from the mountain which the early Christians referred to as the "Mount of the Temptation". The Mount of Temptation was identified by Augusta Helena of Constantinople as one of the "holy sites" in her pilgrimage in 326 CE.
Palestine, including Jericho, was conquered by the Arabs under the Islamic Caliphate of Umar ibn al-Khattab in the 630s.
When the Crusaders conquered the area in 1099, they built two churches on the site: one in a cave halfway up the cliff and a second on the summit. They referred to the site as "Mons Quarantana" (from Quaranta meaning forty in Italian, the number of days in the Gospel account of Jesus's fast).
The land upon which the modern monastery was built was purchased by the Orthodox Church in 1874. In 1895, the monastery was constructed around a crude cave chapel that marks the stone where Jesus sat during his fast.
The Orthodox Church, along with its Palestinian Orthodox followers purchaser,[dubious – discuss] originally attempted to build a church at the summit, but were unsuccessful; the unfinished walls of that church are located on a slope above the monastery.
As of 2002, three Orthodox monks were dwelling in the monastery and were guiding visitors to the site.
In 1998, a cable car was built from Jericho's Tell es-Sultan to the level of the monastery by an Austrian-Swiss company as a tourist attraction for the year 2000. At present there is a restaurant, a cafe and a souvenir shop at the monastery entrance for the tourists.
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