THE LIFE AND WALK OF IGUMENE DANIIL FROM THE RUSSIAN LAND
Here I am, the unworthy abbot Daniel from the Russian land, the worst of all monks, burdened with many sins, incapable of any good deed, being compelled by my thoughts and my impatience, I wanted to see the holy city of Jerusalem and the Promised Land. And, by the grace of God, I reached the holy city of Jerusalem, and saw the holy places, walked around the entire land of Galilee and near the holy city of Jerusalem, the holy places where Christ our God walked with his feet and where, in those holy places, he showed great miracles. And then I saw everything with my sinful eyes: the kindly God showed me so that I could see what I had desired for many days with my thoughts.
Brothers and fathers, my masters, forgive me, a sinner, and do not reproach me for the stupidity and rudeness of what I wrote about the holy city of Jerusalem, about that good land and about the path leading to holy places. After all, whoever makes this journey with the fear of God and humility will never sin against God’s mercy; I walked the path of those saints inappropriately, in all laziness, weakness, drunkenness and doing all sorts of inappropriate things. But, hoping, however, on the mercy of God and on your prayer - that Christ God will forgive me my countless sins, I described this path and those holy places, without ascending, without being proud of this path, as if I had done something good along this path, - let it not be so, for I did not do any good on that path, - but out of love for those holy places I described everything that I saw with my eyes, so that what God gave to me, unworthy, would not be forgotten. I was afraid of the condemnation of that lazy slave, who hid the talent of his master and did not receive a profit from him, and wrote this for faithful people: maybe someone, hearing about the places of these saints, will be drawn in soul and thought to these holy places and will accept an equal reward from God with those who manage to reach these holy places. For many good people, being at home, in their places, with their thoughts and alms to the poor, with their good deeds, reach these holy places, and they will receive a great reward from our saving God Jesus Christ. Many, having reached the places of these saints and the holy city of Jerusalem and raised their minds as if they had done something good, lose the reward for their work, and of these I am the first. Many, having gone to the holy city of Jerusalem and not seeing much good, go again, trying to go quickly again. But this way it is impossible to go quickly and be able to really see all those holy places in the city and outside the city.
ABOUT JERUSALEM, ABOUT LAUREL
I, the unworthy abbot Daniel, having come to Jerusalem, stayed for sixteen months in one place, in the Lavra of St. Sava, and therefore was able to go around and examine all these holy places. And since it is impossible to find and see all the holy places without a good guide and without knowing the language, I gave everything that I had at hand from my poor earnings to those who knew well all the holy places in the city and outside the city - so that they could show me everything Fine; as it was. And God helped me to meet in the Lavra a holy man, both old in days, and very bookish; God put it in the heart of that holy man to love me, the poor one, and he showed me well all those holy places: both in Jerusalem and throughout that land he led me, and to the Sea of Tiberias, and to Tabor, and to Nazareth, and to Hebron, and to the Jordan, and to all those places, he took me, and labored with me, moved by love. And I saw many other holy places, which I will tell you about later.
ABOUT THE WAY TO JERUSALEM
But this is the way to Jerusalem. From Constantinople you need to walk along the seashore three hundred miles to the Great Sea. One hundred miles to Petala Island; it is the first island on the narrow sea; there is a good bay and there is the city of Heraclius the Great. And opposite that city, holy myrrh comes out of the depths of the sea: here many holy martyrs were drowned by their tormentors. From Petala Island to Kalipol there are one hundred versts, and from Kalipol to the city of Avida eighty versts. Opposite that city lies Saint Euthymius the New. And from there it is twenty miles to Crete, and there is an exit to the Great Sea: to the left - to Jerusalem, and to the right to the Holy Mountain, to Thessaloniki and to Rome. And from Crete to the island of Teneda is thirty miles. This is the first island on the Great Sea, and there lies St. Navgudimos the martyr. And opposite that island on the shore there was a large city called Troas. Paul the Apostle came there and taught that whole country and baptized. And from the island of Teneda to the island of Metania one hundred miles; there lies the holy Metropolitan of Meletinsky. And from Meletinia to the island of Ahia is a hundred miles; and there lies the holy martyr Isidore. And on that island will be born mastic resin, and good wine, and all kinds of fruits.
ABOUT THE CITY OF EPHESUS
And from the island of Ahijah to the city of Ephesus there are sixty miles. There is the tomb of John the Evangelist. And the holy ashes come out of that tomb on the day of his memory, and faithful people collect that holy ashes for the healing of every ailment. And John’s cloak lies here, in which he walked.
And there is a cave nearby where lie the bodies of seven youths who slept for three hundred and sixty years: under King Decius they fell asleep, and under King Theodosius they appeared. In the same cave three hundred holy fathers lie; here Saint Alexander lies, and the coffin of Magdalene Mary, and her head; and the holy Apostle Timothy, a disciple of the holy Apostle Paul, lies in an old tomb. And there in the old church there is an icon of the Holy Mother of God, with the help of which the saints argued with Nestorius the heretic. And there is the bathhouse of Dioscorides, where John the Theologian worked with Prochorus at Romana. And we saw that pier where the sea threw up John the Theologian; They stood there for three days; and that pier is called Mramornaya. The city of Ephesus is located on land, four miles from the sea, in the mountains; it abounds in every good thing. And we bowed there to that holy tomb and, protected by the grace of God and the prayers of St. John the Theologian, we walked, rejoicing. And from Ephesus to the island itself is forty miles. There are many kinds of fish on that island, and this island abounds in everything. And from Sam to the island of Karia is twenty miles.
ABOUT PATME ISLAND
And from Kariya to the island of Patma, sixty versts. Off to the side, far out to sea, is the island of Patm. On that island, John the Theologian wrote the Gospel when he was imprisoned with Prokhor. Further from there is the island of Jlepoc, then the island of Kalymnos, then the island of Nisera, as well as the island of Kos, which is very large. That island is very rich in everything: both people and livestock. Next is the island of Tilos, on this island Herod’s flour boils with burning sulfur; and after boiling this shit, they sell it, but we use it to light fire. Next - Harkiya Island. And all those islands, full of people and livestock, stand in a row, close to one another, about ten miles or more apart.
Next is the island of Rod, large and very rich in everything. Oleg, the Russian prince, was on that island for two summers and two winters. And from Sam to the island of Roda, two hundred miles, and from Roda to Makria, sixty miles. And in that city, and throughout that land as far as the world, black incense will be born there.
This is how black incense gomphite is extracted: a kind of resin comes out of the tree, and it is removed with a sharp iron. That tree is called zygia, and in appearance it looks like an alder. And another small tree looks like an aspen, but the name of that tree is cancer; in that tree there is a large worm, the size of a popor, behind the bark of that tree. And this worm wears out that tree, and dust comes out of that tree, like wheat bran, and falls from that tree like cherry glue, and people collect it, mix it with the above-mentioned tree and, putting it in a cauldron, cook incense gomphite; and put them in bags and sell them to merchants.
And from Makria to the city of Patera is about forty versts. Saint Nicholas was born here; this is his fatherland and homeland - Patera. And from Patera to Mir, where the tomb of St. Nicholas is, forty miles. And from Mir to Chilidonium there are sixty miles. And from Chilidonium to Cyprus, the great island, it is two hundred miles.
ABOUT CYPRUS ISLAND
Cyprus - very big Island, and there are many people on it, and it abounds in all kinds of good things. There are twenty-four bishops on it, but there is only one metropolis. And there are countless saints on it; there lie Saint Epiphanios, and the Apostle Barnabas, and Saint Zenon, and Saint Bishop Trifolios, and Saint Philagrios the Bishop, whom the Apostle Paul baptized.
ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN WHERE SAINT HELENA PLACED THE CROSS
And there is a very high mountain there, and on that mountain St. Helena erected a large cypress cross to drive away demons and heal all ailments and put the honorable nail of Christ into the cross. And there, in that place, at that cross, great signs and wonders continue to this day. That cross stands in the air, not being attached to the ground by anything, but carried in the air by the Holy Spirit. And then I, unworthy, bowed to that wonderful shrine, and with my sinful eyes I saw the grace of God in that place, and the whole island departed as it should.
ABOUT INCENSE
And there will be born incense, incense: it falls from the neves, and is collected on the trees. After all, in those mountains there are many low trees with equal grass, and that good incense falls on them.
It is collected in July and August; in other months it does not fall; but only in those two will he be born.
And from Cyprus to the city of Jaffa, four hundred miles, all by sea. From Constantinople to the island of Roda eight hundred versts, and from Roda to Jaffa eight hundred versts. In total, the journey by sea to Jaffa is one thousand six hundred miles. Jaffa is a city on the coast not far from Jerusalem; From there you have to go overland to Jerusalem. I walked ten miles to St. George: there was a large church built in the name of St. George, and there his coffin was in the altar, after all, St. George was martyred here. And there's a lot of water there. And there the wanderers rest, by that water, but with great fear, for this place is empty and the city of Ascalon is close, and from there the Saracens come out and beat up the wanderers on those paths. So it is very scary to enter the mountains from that place. From St. George to Jerusalem there are twenty miles, but all in stone mountains. The path here is both difficult and very scary.
ABOUT MOUNT ARMAFEM And there is a high mountain near Jerusalem, with, if you are coming from Jaffa; the name of that mountain is Armafem. On that Mount Armafem there is the tomb of the holy prophet Samuel, and the father of Elkan, and Mary the Egyptian, for there was a village and the house of the saints. And that place was surrounded by a fence, and this fenced place is also called Armafem.
ABOUT JERUSALEM
The holy city of Jerusalem is located in a gorge, close to it there are high stone mountains. Approaching the city itself, you first see the pillar of David, and then, after walking a little, you see the Mount of Olives, and the Holy of Holies, and the Church of the Resurrection, where the Holy Sepulcher is located, and then you see the whole city. And there is a flat mountain there near the road, at a distance of about a mile from Jerusalem, - on that mountain all the people dismount from their horses, and bow there with the cross, and worship the Holy Resurrection in full view of the city. And then every Christian experiences great joy, seeing the holy city of Jerusalem, and tears flow here from the faithful people; no one can help but shed a tear when they see this desired land and see the holy places where Christ our God endured the passions for the sake of us sinners. And they all walk on foot with great joy towards the city of Jerusalem.
And stands here, by left hand from the road, when you pass there, the Church of St. Stephen the First Martyr: in that place Stephen the First Martyr was beaten by the Jews, and his tomb is located there. And here there is a flat stone mountain - it sank during the crucifixion of Christ; that place is called Hell. It is located near the city wall, about a throw away.
And then all the people with great joy entered the holy city of Jerusalem through the gate located near the pillar of David. Those gates are from the Bethlehem side; there is the Benjamin Gate. Entering the city, you see on your right hand the road through the city to the Holy of Holies, and on your left - to the Holy Resurrection, where the Holy Sepulcher is located.
ABOUT THE CHURCH OF THE RESURANCE OF THE LORD
The Church of the Resurrection of the Lord is like this. It is round in shape; it has twelve solid round pillars, and six folded square ones; it is beautifully paved with marble slabs; it has six doors; and in the choir it has sixteen pillars. And above the choir on the ceiling there is a mosaic image of the holy prophets - standing as if they were alive. And above the altar there is a mosaic depicting Christ. In the great altar, the mosaic depicts the elevation of Adam, further up there is a mosaic depiction of the Ascension of the Lord; On both pillars on the sides of the altar the Annunciation is depicted in mosaic. The top of the church is not completely covered with stone, but is spread out by a frame of hewn wood, so that it is without a top, not covered with anything. Under that same uncovered top is the Holy Sepulcher.
The Holy Sepulcher is like that. It is like a small cave carved into stone, with small doors through which a person can kneel and enter. It is small in height, and four cubits in length and width. And when you enter this cave through the small doors, on your right hand there is, as it were, a bench carved into the same cave stone: on that bench lay the body of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now that holy bench is covered with marble slabs. There are three round windows on the side, and thanks to these windows this holy stone is visible, and all Christians kiss there. Five large lamps with oil hang in the Holy Sepulcher, and the holy lamps burn continuously day and night. The holy bench where the body of Christ lay was four cubits long, two cubits wide, and half a cubit high. In front of the cave doors lies a stone - at a distance of three feet from those cave doors: sitting on that stone, an angel appeared to the women and preached to them about the resurrection of Christ.
That holy cave is decorated on the outside with red marble, like an pulpit, and there are twelve red marble columns around it. Above the cave, there is a beautiful tower built on pillars, and on top of that tower stands Christ, sculptured from silver, taller than a man; the fryags did it; and now he stands under the very top of that uncovered. There are three doors at that tower, arranged cunningly - like a lattice of crosses: through those doors people enter the Holy Sepulcher. And that that cave was the Holy Sepulcher, as I said, I found out well from those who have lived here for a long time and truly know all those holy places.
The Church of the Resurrection is round in shape, and is equally thirty fathoms in length and width. It has spacious rooms, and the patriarch lives up there. The distance from the door of the tomb to the wall of the great altar is twelve fathoms. Here, behind the wall, outside the altar, is the Navel of the Earth; a vault was made above it, and Christ was depicted in mosaic on top, and the inscription reads: “Behold, with my span I measured heaven and earth.”
ABOUT THE PLACE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE EARTH WHERE CHRIST WAS CRUCIFIED
And from the Navel of the Earth to the Crucifixion of the Lord and to the Edge is twelve fathoms. The Crucifixion of the Lord is located on the eastern side on a stone. It was high, higher than a spear. The stone was round, like a small hill. And in the middle of that stone, at the very top, there was a hole cut two cubits deep, round, less than a span in width: here the cross of the Lord was erected. In the ground under this stone lies the head of the primordial Adam. And during the Crucifixion, when our Lord Jesus Christ betrayed his spirit on the cross, then the church veil was torn, and the stone then disintegrated. And that stone broke over Adam's head. And through that cleft, blood and water from the Lord’s ribs descended onto Adam’s head and washed away all the sins of the human race. And this cleft exists on that stone to this day. On the right side
The Lord's crucifixion is an honest sign.
ABOUT THE FRONTAL PLACE
The Lord's crucifix and that holy stone are surrounded by a wall all around. Above the Crucifixion there is an intricate vault, wonderfully decorated with mosaics. And on the eastern side, on the wall, a mosaic depicts Christ crucified on the cross, skillfully and amazingly, just as if alive, both in size and height - as he was then. And on the south side there is written the removal from the cross, just as wonderful. There are two doors. You have to enter up the steps: there are seven steps to the door, and seven steps to enter the door. The floor is paved with red marble slabs.
Below, under the Crucifixion, where the head of Adam lies, there is also a small church built, beautifully decorated with mosaics and paved with red marble. This is called Kranievo place, which means Execution place. And above, where the Crucifixion is, it is called Golgotha. And from the Crucifixion of the Lord to the Deposition of the Lord the distance is five fathoms. And there is there, close to the Crucifixion of the Lord, a place on the southern side where his vestments were divided. There is another place where they placed a crown of thorns on the head of the Lord and clothed him in the scarlet robe of reproach.
ABOUT THE ALTAR OF ABRAHAM
And there nearby is the altar of Abraham, where Abraham sacrificed to God and slain a ram instead of Isaac. After all, Isaac was elevated to the very place where Christ was elevated to be slain for the sake of us, sinners. And from there there is a close place - about two fathoms further - where Christ our God was killed. And then, ten fathoms later, there is the holy prison, where Christ was imprisoned and where he sat for a while until the Jews had time to put up a cross to crucify him. Yet these holy places are under one covering, all standing in a row towards the south. And from the prison of Christ to the place where Saint Helena found the honest cross, nails, crown, spear, sponge and cane, twenty-five fathoms. The Holy Sepulcher, the Crucifixion and all these holy places are located on level ground; the hill rises above the tomb and above the Crucifixion on the western side.
And there is a place there on the slope to which the Holy Mother of God ran, hurrying after Christ and saying in the pain of her heart through tears: “Where are you going, my child? Why are you moving so fast? Or is there another marriage in Cana of Galilee, and are you in a hurry to get there, my son and God? Do not silently leave me, who gave birth to you. Say a word to me, your servant.” And having come to that place, the holy Mother of God saw from that mountain her son crucified on the cross, and, seeing, she was horrified, and shuddered, and sat down, overcome with sadness and sobbing. And here Simeon’s prophecy came true, as he had previously said to the holy Mother of God: “This one is destined for the rebellion and fall of many in Israel. And a weapon will pierce your very soul when you see your son being sacrificed.” Many stood there, in that place, friends and those who knew him, looking from afar: Mary Magdalene, and Mary of James, and Salome - where stood all those who had come from Galilee with John and the mother of Jesus. All the acquaintances and friends of Jesus stood, watching from afar as the prophet said: “But my friends and relatives have become far from me.” And that place is located at a distance from the Crucifixion of Christ; about one and a half hundred fathoms to the west is the place from the Crucifixion of Christ. The place is called Spudii, which translates as “The Haste of the Virgin Mary.” And now in that place stands a monastery and the Church of the Holy Mother of God with a raised cage on top.
ABOUT THE PILLAR OF DAVID
And from there it is two hundred fathoms to the pillar of David and to the house. This pillar of the holy prophet David; his house was right there. In that pillar, the prophet David compiled and wrote the Psalter. This pillar is wonderful, made of large stones, very tall, made with four corners, and all strong and durable, and the stone is selected. There is a lot of water inside. It has five iron doors, and two hundred steps along which they go up. And there is endless bread in it. It is very difficult to take and dominates over that entire city, and they guard it very much, and do not allow anyone to enter it just like that. God gave me, bad and unworthy, the opportunity to enter that holy pillar; I was able to bring only Izyaslav with me.
ABOUT THE HOUSE OF URIAH
And close to that pillar was the house of Uriah - that Uriah whom David killed, and took his wife, seeing her washing in the bathhouse. There is now the site of the monastery of St. Sava; It’s close to the pillar, you can throw it to it. And where that bathhouse was is known to this day: from the place where Saint Helena found the honest cross - near the Crucifixion of the Lord - twelve fathoms to the east. Here, in that place, a very large cell church was built, and now there is a small church. There are large doors facing east: Saint Mary Magdalene came to those doors and wanted to enter the church, and wanted to kiss the cross, but the power of the holy spirit did not let her in. And then she prayed to the Holy Mother of God, for here, in the vestibule at these doors, stood an icon of the Holy Mother of God, and after that she was able to enter and kiss the venerable cross. She then went out through the same doors into the Jordan desert.
And close to those doors is the place where Saint Helena checked the holy cross of the Lord: immediately the dead virgin stood up. And if you go a little east from there, you will see the praetorium, where the soldiers brought Christ to Pilate; and here, having washed his hands, Pilate said: “I am clean from the blood of this righteous man.” And having beaten Jesus, he handed him over to the Jews. Here is a Jewish prison: from this prison an angel led the holy Apostle Peter in the middle of the night. And right there was the court of Judas, the traitor of Christ. Even now that cursed yard stands empty: no one dares to settle in that place because of the curse. And if you go a little east from there, there will be a place where Christ healed the bleeding woman. And there is a ditch nearby where Jeremiah the prophet was thrown; his house was there too. Paul the Apostle had his court there before, when he was in Judaism. And if you go a little east from there and get off that road a little, then there was the house of St. Joachim and Anna.
There is a cave a little below the altar, in a stone: in that cave the Holy Mother of God was born; in the same cave there is the tomb of Saints Akim and Anna.
ABOUT THE SHEEP BATH
And from there the porch of Solomon is close, where is the Sheep Pool, where Christ healed the paralytic. The place is to the west of Akim and Anna, closer than a person can throw. From there, to the east, the city gates are close; they go out through those gates, going to Gethsemane.
ABOUT THE CHURCH HOLY OF HOLIES
And from the Resurrection of Christ to the Holy of Holies the distance is further than you can shoot twice. The Church of the Holy of Holies is wonderfully and skillfully built, decorated from the inside with mosaics, and its beauty is indescribable in words. It was built round in shape, the outside was covered with images skillfully and indescribably, its walls were lined with marble slabs of other marble, and it was paved beautifully with marble slabs. There are twelve solid round pillars in it under the roof, and eight folded square pillars. It has four doors; those doors are bound with gilded copper. And the dome was covered on the inside with mosaics skillfully and indescribably in words, and on the outside, on top, it was upholstered with gilded copper. Under the same dome is a cave carved in stone, and in that cave Zechariah the prophet was killed. He was buried right there, and his blood was here, but now it’s not here. And there is there, outside that cave under the dome, the stone on which Jacob had a dream: a ladder reaching to heaven, and the angels of God ascending and descending on it. Here Jacob wrestled with an angel. Jacob arose from his sleep and said: “This place is the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” In the same place, the prophet David saw an angel standing with a naked weapon and slaying the people of Israel, and he entered that cave weeping, praying to God, and said: “Lord, it was not the sheep who sinned, but I sinned.” The church is thirty fathoms equally lengthwise and crosswise. It has four entrances. The old church, the Holy of Holies, has been destroyed, and nothing remains of Solomon's first building that can be seen. And only the embankment for the church is visible, which the prophet David began to do. And that cave is now in the church, and that stone; it is now under roof and is all that remains of the old building. And this present church was built by a Saracen elder named Amor.
ABOUT SOLOMON'S HOUSE
Solomon's house was also there. This building was strong, very large and very beautiful. It was all paved with marble slabs, supported on vaults, and the entire house was supplied with water. Beautiful rooms were made and skillfully decorated with mosaics. And the marble pillars, from expensive marble were beautifully placed in a row, and on those pillars the vaults were skillfully erected. And the whole house was covered with tin. There is the gate of that house, very beautifully and skillfully lined with tin, covered with mosaics and bound with gilded copper. And those gates are called Red. And to this day the place at that gate is known where Peter and John healed a lame man.
And there are three other gates besides those. And the fifth gate is the Apostolic Gate. The prophet David built those gates. The gate is firmly and surprisingly skillfully made. They were bound with gilded copper, the inside was skillfully painted on copper, and the outside was tightly bound with iron. There are four doors at that gate. Only those gates remained from the ancient buildings - they and the pillar of David. And other buildings are all new. After all, the ancient city of Jerusalem was destroyed several times. Through those gates Christ entered Jerusalem with Lazarus from the direction of Bethany, when Christ resurrected Lazarus. Bethany is on the east side of the city, opposite the Mount of Olives. The distance from those gates to the Church of the Holy of Holies is one hundred and fifty fathoms.
ABOUT THE VILLAGE OF BETHANY
Bethany is located from the city of Jerusalem at a distance of two miles behind a mountain on level ground. Bethany is a small town south of Jerusalem. When you enter the gates of that town, there is a cave on your right hand, and in that cave is the tomb of St. Lazarus. In that same cell, Lazarus was ill and died immediately. In the middle of that town there is a large church, stretched upward and all well painted. From that church to the tomb of Lazarus is twelve fathoms. Lazarev's tomb from the church - towards the west, and the church, from the tomb - towards the east. And there is very good water deep in the ground on the west before the city; they go down the steps to her. And in the direction from there to Jerusalem - more than a mile away from Bethany - there is a pillar: at that place Martha met Jesus, and here Christ again sat on a donkey after the resurrection of Lazarus.
ABOUT THE VILLAGE OF GETHSIMANIA
Gethsemane, the village where the tomb of the Holy Mother of God is located, is close to Jerusalem, on the Kidron stream, in the Valley of Weeping, and is located in the middle direction between the summer and winter east.
ABOUT THE CITY GATE
From the city gate it is eight fathoms to the place where Ochonia the Jew wanted to drag the body of the Holy Mother of God from the bed when the apostles were carrying her to Gethsemane for burial. And the angel cut off both his hands with a sword, and laid them on him. There was a women's monastery in that place, but now it has been destroyed by filthy people.
ABOUT THE BURIAL PLACE OF THE HOLY VIRGIN
And from there it is a hundred fathoms to the tomb of the Holy Mother of God. The coffin of the Holy Mother of God is located out of the blue. A small cave with small doors was carved into the stone so that a person could bend down and enter, and in the depths of that cave, opposite the doors, there was, as it were, a bench carved into the same cave stone - on that bench the body of our most pure Lady Theotokos was laid, and from there it was taken to heaven, remaining incorruptible. The height of the cave is taller than a man's height, and the width is four cubits, and so on. From the outside, it is like a tower, beautifully decorated with marble slabs. And on top of the tomb of the Holy Mother of God a very large cell church was built in the name of the Holy Mother of God of the Assumption, but now that place has been destroyed by the filthy. The tomb of the Holy Mother of God is located below the great altar of this church.
ABOUT THE CAVE WHERE CHRIST WAS BETRAYED
And from the tomb of the Holy Mother of God is ten fathoms to the cave where Christ was betrayed by Judas to the Jews for thirty pieces of silver. That cave is located on the other side of the Kidron stream at the Mount of Olives.
And there is a place here near that cave - a person can throw a small stone in the southern direction - where Christ prayed to his father that night when he was handed over to the Jews for crucifixion, and said: “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me " Now a small church has been built on that site. And from there he shot the distance to the tomb of Asaphat - this was the king of the Jews, and that is why that gorge of Asafat is called. And right there nearby, in the same gorge, is the tomb of Saint James, the brother of the Lord.
The Mount of Olives is located from Jerusalem in the direction of the southeast. From Gethsemane the climb to the Mount of Olives is very high: it is hardly possible to reach its top in three times; but only up to the “Our Father” can one shoot from Gethsemane.
ABOUT THE CAVE WHERE CHRIST BEGAN TO TEACH HIS DISCIPLES
And a large church was erected there, and there is a cave under the altar from the inside: in that cave Christ taught his disciples to sing the “Our Father.” And from there to the very top of the Mount of Olives, where the Ascension of the Lord is, ninety fathoms.
ABOUT THE MOUNT OF OLEON
The Ascension of the Lord is located at the top of the Mount of Olives, directly to the east, and looks like a small hill. On that hill there was a round stone above the knees: from that stone Christ our God ascended to heaven. And the whole place was surrounded by vaults, and on top of those vaults a kind of round stone courtyard was built, and the whole courtyard was paved with marble slabs. And in the middle of that yard there was a kind of round mansion made, without a top; there is the same hole in the bottom of the tower. And in that mansion, under the very top, uncovered, lies the holy stone, on which the most pure feet of our lord and master stood. And a table of marble slabs was made over the stone, and liturgies are now served on that table. That stone is located below, under the holy table, all around it is covered with marble slabs, only the top of it is visible a little, and all Christians kiss it. That tower has two doors. You need to approach the Ascension of the Lord by steps, and there are only twenty-two of those steps. The Mount of Olives rises high above the city of Jerusalem, and from it everything in the city of Jerusalem can be seen; and the Holy of Holies, and the Sea of Sodom, and the Jordan can be seen from it; and all that land, even on the other side of the Jordan - everything is visible from it; for the Mount of Olives is higher than all the mountains that are near Jerusalem.
ABOUT THE CITY OF JERUSALEM
Jerusalem is a large and strong city; its walls are equal to each other; It was built on four corners in the shape of a cross. There are many gorges around it and stone mountains. That place is waterless: there is no river, no well, no spring near Jerusalem, but only one pool of Siloam. But all the people and livestock in that city live on rainwater. And good bread will be born near Jerusalem in those stones without rain, but so, by God's command and favor. A fair amount of wheat and barley will be produced: after all, having sowed one barrel, they take ninety barrels, and another time a hundred barrels for one barrel. Isn’t this a blessing from God to that holy land! There are many vineyards near Jerusalem and fruitful trees, figs, mulberries, olives, horns; and all the other various trees without number grow throughout that land, And on the same Mount of Olives there is a deep cave close to the Ascension of the Lord. south side, and in that cave is the tomb of Saint Pelagia the Harlot. And there is a pillar nearby, a very spiritual man...
ABOUT THE ROAD TO JORDAN
The path from Jerusalem to the Jordan lies through the Mount of Olives to the southeast, and this path is very difficult, terrible and waterless. For the mountains here are high and stone, and there are many robbers, and they commit robbery in those terrible mountains and gorges. The distance from Jerusalem to Jordan is twenty-six miles. Fifteen miles to Kuziva, where Saint Joachim fasted because of his barrenness, there is this place in a deep gorge close to the road, on the left hand when you walk there. And from Kuziva to Jericho there are five miles, and from Jericho to the Jordan there are six miles. Here many people suffocate from the heat and die - they die from thirst without water. There, after all, the Sea of Sodom is close to that road: a sultry and stinking spirit comes out - it burns and scorches the whole land. And here, not reaching the Jordan, close to the road, is the monastery of St. John the Baptist, built in the mountain.
ABOUT MOUNT HERMONA
And there is Mount Hermon there, near that monastery, at a distance of about twenty fathoms. It's on your left hand when you walk there, close to the road. And this sandy hill is not great, but small.
And from Ermora to the old monastery of Ioannov there are two good shootouts. A large church was built there in the name of the Baptist John.
ABOUT THE PLACE WHERE THE SEA SAW CHRIST AND FLEEED AND THE JORDAN CAME BACK
And close behind the altar of that church, on the eastern side on a hillock, there was built a kind of altar and a small vault: in that place John the Baptist baptized our Lord Jesus Christ. After all, Jordan had reached this place, emerging from his bed, when he turned around at the sight of his creator who had come to be baptized: being afraid, he turned back and reached this place. And here, close to that font, was the Sea of Sodom, but now it is far from Baptism - it ran four miles away. For then the sea saw the naked deity standing in the waters of the Jordan, and was afraid; and Jordan fled and turned back; as the prophet says: “Why did you, the sea, run away, and you, Jordan, turn back?”
ABOUT THE PLACE WHERE CHRIST WAS BAPTIZED
From the place where Christ was baptized, the distance to the bank of the Jordan River is as far as a husband can throw it with a small stone.
ABOUT THE POOL
And there is a font here on the Jordan, and Christians who come there bathe. There is also a ford across the Jordan into Arabia. At that place the Jordan parted in ancient times before the children of Israel, and the people passed through on dry ground. Immediately Elisha struck the water with Elijah's mantle, and they crossed the Jordan on dry ground. At the same font, Mary of Egypt walked on the water to Father Zosima and, having accepted the body of Christ, went back through the water into the desert.
ABOUT JORDAN
The Jordan River flows quickly, but its banks are steep on that side and flat on that side. The water is very cloudy and tasty to drink; you will not be satisfied when you drink that holy water; from it - neither illness nor stomach upset in humans. In everything, the Jordan is similar to the River Again - both in width and depth, and in that it winds and flows very quickly, just like the River Again. The depth is four fathoms in the middle of the font itself, as I measured and checked myself, for I wandered to the other side of the Jordan and walked a lot along its bank. The width of the Jordan is like Again at the mouth. On this side of the Jordan, near that font, there is something like a forest; The trees are short and willow-like. And above that font along the banks of the Jordan there is a variety of a kind of vine, but it is not like our vine, it is somewhat similar to dogwood; a lot of reeds too. There are backwaters, like the Snovi River. There are many animals here: there are countless wild pigs, and there are many leopards, and lions.
On the other side of the Jordan there are high stone mountains; they are far from the Jordan. And under those mountains there are other mountains close by, white ones, and those mountains are close to the Jordan. That is the land of Zebulun and Naphtali on the other side of the Jordan.
ABOUT THE CAVE OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
And nearby there is a place to the east, about two shootouts from the river, where Elijah the prophet was caught up in a chariot of fire. There is also the cave of St. John the Baptist. And a deep stream flows beautifully over the rocks into the Jordan. The water is very cold and very tasty. John the Forerunner of Christ drank this water when he lived in that holy cave.
ABOUT THE CAVE OF ELIJAH THE PROPHET
And right there there is another amazing cave, where Saint Elijah the Prophet lived with Elisha, his disciple. And then, by the grace of God, we saw everything with our own sinful and unworthy eyes. And God vouchsafed me to be on the Holy Jordan three times. Even on the very feast of the blessing of water, we were in the Jordan: we saw the grace of God coming to the waters of the Jordan, and a multitude of people, countless people then came to the water. All night there is a fair amount of singing and endless candles are burning, and at midnight there is a baptism of water. Then the holy spirit comes to the waters of the Jordan; and worthy and good people see, but all nations see nothing, but only joy and cheerfulness then appears in the heart of every Christian. And when they say: “I am baptized in the Jordan, O Lord,” then all the people go into the water and are baptized in the midnight and Jordan River, just as Christ was baptized here at midnight. And there is a very high mountain here, on the other side of the Jordan, it can be seen from everywhere from afar: on that mountain Moses the prophet reposed, having seen the promised land. And from the monastery of St. John to the Gerasimov monastery is one mile, and from the Gerasimov monastery to Kalamonia, to the monastery of the Holy Mother of God, one mile.
This is not the place where the Holy Mother of God with Jesus Christ, Joseph, and Jacob, when they fled to Egypt, settled for the night in that place. Then the Holy Mother of God gave the name to the place - Kalamonia, which translates as “Good Abode”. There the holy spirit now descends to the icon of the Holy Mother of God. And that monastery stands at the mouth where the Jordan flows into the Sea of Sodom; and the whole monastery is surrounded by a fence; There are twenty monks in it. And from there it’s two miles to the monastery of St. John Chrysostom, and that monastery is also surrounded by a fence; and he is very rich.
ABOUT THE CITY OF JERICHO
And from there it’s one mile to Jericho. Jericho was formerly a large and very strong city. Joshua took that Jericho and destroyed it to the ground. Now there is a Saracen village here. And there is the house of Zacchaeus there; and the stump of that tree stands to this day, on which he climbed to see Christ. There was also the house of a famous Shunammite woman, in which Elisha raised the boy. The land around Jericho is good and fruitful, and the field is beautiful and level, and around it there are many tall dates and all kinds of fruitful trees; and the waters flowed in abundance, distributed throughout all that land. These are the waters of Elisha, which Elisha the prophet desalinated.
And there is a place here near Jericho, one mile to the southeast: at that place Saint Michael the Archangel appeared to Joshua before the army of Israel; and Jesus raised his eyes and saw before him a terrible armed man, and Jesus said: “Are you one of ours or one of our enemies?” And the archangel said to him: “I am Michael, the commander of God, sent to help you. Be brave and defeat your enemies." And he said to him: “Take off your boot from your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Jesus fell on his face and worshiped. And now a monastery stands in that place, and the church was built in the name of St. Michael. In that church there are twelve stones; and those stones were taken from the bottom of the Jordan, when the Jordan parted before the people of Israel; And those priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord took stones, according to the number of the tribes of Israel, for a memorial of their family. The place is called Galganii, because the children of Israel stood in that place after crossing the Jordan.
ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN OF GIBEON
And from that place to the west there is a high and very large mountain; the name of that mountain is Gibeon; over that same Mount of Gibeon, the sun stood still and waited for about half a day until Joshua defeated his enemies, when Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of the Canaanites fought with him. And Jesus conquered to the end, and then the sun went down.
ABOUT THE CAVE WHERE CHRIST FASTED FOR FORTY DAYS
In the same mountain of Gibeon there is a very high cave in which Christ our God fasted for forty days, and then became hungry. And the devil came there to tempt him, and said to him: “If you are the son of God, say, let these stones be bread.”
There was nearby the house of Elisha the prophet and his cave, and there is a well to the east of Gibeon at a distance of about half a mile.
And from Jerusalem to the Theodosius Monastery there are six miles. That monastery on the mountain is surrounded by a fence and is visible from Jerusalem. And there is a large cave in the middle of the monastery, in which the wise men spent the night when they were avoiding Herod. And there now lies Saint Theodosius, and many holy fathers lie there; Saint Sava’s mother lies in that cave, and Theodosia’s mother lies here.
ABOUT THE LAUREL OF ST. SAVA
And from that monastery to the monastery of Savva, it’s about six miles. Both of those monasteries are south of Jerusalem. The Lavra of Saint Sava is located in the valley of Jehoshaphat, in the vale of tears, which begins from Jerusalem: coming from Gethsemane, this valley passes through the lavra and reaches the Sea of Sodom. The Lavra of St. Sava was created by God in a wonderful and indescribable way. The stream that once flowed was terrible and very deep and dehydrated. Its banks were high. On those cliffs the cells are molded - stuck and approved by God in some miraculous and terrible way. At that height there are cells on both banks of that terrible stream and they are molded on the rocks, as if the stars were fixed in the sky. There are three churches. Among those cells to the west there is a wonderful cave. God showed that cave to Saint Sava with a pillar of fire, when he first lived alone in the place of that stream. The first cell of Saint Sava, where he lived alone, is located at a distance from the current monastery, about half a mile away. From there he saw the pillar of fire shown to him by God over that holy place where the Lavra of St. Sava now exists. This place is wonderful and absolutely indescribable in words. The tomb of Saint Sava is also located there between those three churches, from the big one at a distance of four fathoms. And there is a little mansion over the tomb of Saint Sava; done beautifully. Many holy fathers lie there, as if living in their bodies: Saint John the Bishop Hesychast lies here, Saint John of Damascus lies here, and Saint Theodore of Edessa lies here, and Michael is his nephew; Saint Aphroditian lies here, and many other saints lie here, with their bodies as if alive, and an indescribable fragrance emanates from them. And I saw the well of Saint Sava, which a wild donkey showed him at night in the stream opposite his cell; We drank very tasty and cold water from that well. In that place there is neither a river, nor a stream, nor a well anywhere, but only one well of St. Sava. It’s a waterless place, in the stone mountains, and the whole desert is dry and waterless. The fathers who are in that desert live only by rainwater.
And there is a place there near the Lavra, on the south side of the Lavra, called Ruva; it is located near the Sea of Sodom. And the mountains there are high and stone, and there are many caves in those mountains. And here, in these mountains, in that terrible waterless desert, the holy fathers lived. And there are the dwellings of leopards, and there are many wild donkeys.
The Sea of Sodom is dead and contains nothing living: no fish, no crayfish, no oysters. And if the Jordan current carries the fish into that sea, then it cannot be alive even for a short time, but soon dies. For from the bottom of that sea comes red resin onto the surface of the water, and that resin lies in abundance along that shore; and the stench comes from that sea, as from burning brimstone: here, after all, is the place of torment, under that sea.
ABOUT THE MONASTERY OF SAINT EUTHEMIUS
And from the Lavra of St. Sava to the east behind the mountain is the monastery of St. Euphthnia, three miles away from the Lavra. And Saint Euthymius lies there, and many other holy fathers lie there, their bodies as if alive. And that monastery stands on level ground, and the stone mountains around it are at a distance. The monastery was surrounded by a fence, and the church was nice and high. And nearby there was the monastery of St. Theoktistus, under the mountain, to the south of the monastery of Euthymius. And all that is now ruined by the filthy.
ABOUT MOUNT ZION
Mount Zion is tall and large when viewed from the south; and from the side of Jerusalem it is flat and level. On that Mount Zion was originally the ancient city of Jerusalem. That ancient city was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, under Jeremiah the prophet. And now Mount Zion is outside the city wall, south of Jerusalem Zion. Here, on Mount Zion, was the house of John the Theologian; A large cage church was created on this site. And the distance from the city wall to the Church of St. Zion is as wide as a man can throw a small stone.
And in that Church of Zion there is, behind the altar of that church, a room where Christ washed the feet of his disciples.
ABOUT THE HOUSE OF JOHN THE GOLDEN, WHERE CHRIST DIED
Entering from that room to the south, you go up the steps into a kind of upper room. There is a room there, beautifully made, as if on pillars, and covered, decorated with mosaics and beautifully paved, and there is an altar, like in a church, on the east side. This is the former cell of John the Theologian, and in that cell Christ dined with his disciples; John immediately reclined on his chest and said: “Lord, who is it that betrays you?” At the same place, the descent of the holy spirit was on the apostles at Pentecost.
In the same church there is another room, below, on the ground; and the low room is on the south side. Christ came to that room to his disciples when the doors were closed, and stood in the midst of them and said: “Peace be with you”; Immediately he assured Thomas of the eighth day. The holy stone brought by an angel from Mount Sinai is also kept here.
And on the other side of the same church, on the western side, there is another low room on the ground, the same in appearance: in that room the Holy Mother of God reposed. All this happened in the house of John the Theologian.
And right there was the house of Caiafinos, where Peter denied Christ three times before the rooster crowed. And there is a place in east direction from Zion.
WHERE PETER, HAVING DENIED CHRIST THREE TIMES, CRIED BITTERLY
And from there, to the east, again close, there is a place on the mountainside where there is a very deep cave: the descent into it is thirty-two steps. In this cave, Peter bitterly mourned his renunciation. A church was built above this cave in the name of St. Apostle Peter.
ABOUT THE FONT OF SILOAM
And from there to the south, below the mountain, is the Pool of Siloam, where Christ opened the eyes of the blind man.
ABOUT THE VILLAGE OF SKUDELNICHEM
And here, under the same Mount Zion, is the village of Skudelnichye, which was bought with the money received for Christ for the burial of wanderers. It is on the other side of the gorge, under Mount Zion, south of Zion. And many caves are carved in stone on the mountainside, and in those caves now coffins are built, carved in stone amazingly and wonderfully. Here strangers are buried for free, like this: they don’t give anything for it Holy place, for it was purchased by the blood of Christ.
ABOUT BETHLEHEM
Bethlehem is holy in the south of Holy Jerusalem, six miles away. Along the field - two miles before Abraham dismounted, where Abraham left his servant with the donkey, and took his son for sacrifice and gave him to carry wood and fire, and he said to him: “Father, here is the wood and fire, but where is the sheep?” And Abraham said to him: “God will show us the sheep, child.” And Isaac walked, rejoicing, along that path towards Jerusalem. After all, Isaac was brought to the very place where Christ was crucified.
And from there it’s about a mile away to the place where the Holy Mother of God saw two kinds of people: some laughing, and others crying. And then a church was created, the monastery was the Holy Mother of God. Now everything has been destroyed by the filthy.
And from there it is two miles to the tomb of Rachel, Joseph’s mother.
ABOUT THE VERTEP WHERE THE HOLY VIRGIN GAVE BIRTH TO CHRIST
And from there it’s one mile to the place where the Holy Mother of God got off the donkey, when the one in her belly, wanting to come out, was forced. And there is a large stone there, on which the Holy Mother of God rested then, having descended from the donkey; from that stone, getting up, she walked on foot to the saint’s den, and there, in that den, the holy Mother of God gave birth to Christ. And here, close to that stone, is the Nativity of Christ, so a good shooter can finish the shot.
ABOUT THE CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST
And there, above the nativity scene of the Holy Nativity, a large church was built in the shape of a cross with a rectangular, high-raised top. The entire Church of the Nativity of Christ is covered with tin, all decorated with mosaics, and it has eight solid marble pillars; paved with slabs white marble; it has three doors; it is fifty fathoms long to the great altar, and twenty fathoms wide. The den and the manger, where the Nativity of Christ took place, are located under the great altar. It’s like a large cave, beautifully made, and it has seven steps, along which one goes down to the door of the saint’s den. It has two doors; there are also seven steps to the second doors. And if you enter the den through the eastern doors, on your left hand there is a place on the earth below, on which Christ our God was born. A holy table was erected above that holy place, and here, at that table, the liturgy is served.
ABOUT THE MACHINE OF CHRIST
And there, to the east, there is a place opposite which on the right is the manger of Christ. On the western side, under a stone rock, there are the holy mangers of Christ, in which Christ the god was laid, wrapped in rags. He endured everything for our salvation. The places of Christmas and the manger are close to each other: the distance between them is approximately three fathoms; both these places are in one cave. The cave is covered with mosaics and beautifully paved. Under the church, everything is hollowed out, and the relics of the saints lie here.
And if you go, leaving the church, to the right hand, then there is a deep cave, going under the church: in that cave lay the relics of the holy babies, and from there the holy babies were taken to Constantinople. A high fence was created around the entire church. And the place where the Nativity of Christ took place is located, on a mountain, away from people, in the desert. Now this is the place where the Nativity of Christ is now, and that town is called Bethlehem, and ancient Bethlehem was outside this place, ahead, not reaching the Nativity of Christ. There is now a stylite and a stone of the Holy Mother of God; On that mountain was the first Bethlehem. And all that land near Bethlehem is called Ephrant, the land of Judah. And about this the prophet says: “And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are no less among the thousands of Judah, for from you will come a leader who will shepherd my people of Israel.” And that land near Bethlehem is very beautiful among the mountains, and prolific fruit trees stand along the hillsides so beautifully: olives, and figs, and horns - many, without number; there are many vineyards around Bethlehem; and there are many fields in the valleys.
And near the Church of the Nativity of Christ, behind the city wall to the south, at gunshot distance, there is a large cave in the mountain: in that cave lived the Holy Mother of God with Christ and Joseph.
ABOUT THE HOUSE OF JESHA, THE FATHER OF DAVID
And there is a place on the east side of the city; from the city at a distance of about a shot; the name of the place is Bethel: there was the house of Jesse, the father of David. Samuel the prophet came to this house and there he anointed David to be king in Israel instead of Saul.
ABOUT THE WELL OF DAVID
There is David's well, from which David thirsted in ancient times to drink.
ABOUT THE PLACE WHERE THE ANGELS BROUGHT THE Nativity OF CHRIST TO THE SHEPHERDS
And to the east from there there is a place under a mountain in a field, a mile away from the Nativity of Christ: in that place the holy angels announced the Nativity of Christ to the shepherds. And there was a cave there; over that cave a good church was built in the name of St. Joseph, and there was a good monastery there. Now that place has been devastated by the filthy. And near that place the field was very beautiful, and the fields were prolific, and there were many olive trees. And that place is called Agiapimina, which translates as “Holy Flock”. And there is the village of Saint Sava, closer to Bethlehem under the mountain.
ABOUT THE CAVE AND ABOUT THE OAK OF MAMBRI
And from Bethlehem to the south - Hebron, the Sugubaya cave, and the oak of Mamre. The distance from Jerusalem to Hebron is twenty-eight miles, the path goes past Bethlehem to Hebron; the walk to Bethlehem is six miles, from Bethlehem to the Afam River three miles. The prophet David speaks about that river of Atham in the Psalter: “You have dried up the rivers of Atham; yours is the day, and yours is the night.” And now that river is dry, that river flows underground, it comes out at the Sea of Sodom, for there it flows into the Sea of Sodom. And on the other side of that river is a very high stone mountain; the forest on that mountain is large and dense; And the road goes
through that terrible mountain. It is bad to go, because there is a large fortress there and the Saracens are robbing on that mountain. If anyone in a small number wants to pass, they cannot pass. God gave me good travel companions, and a lot of them, and therefore we were able to pass through that terrible place without damage. There, after all, the city of Ascalon lies not far away, and that’s where the filthy people come out and beat many people mercilessly on that road. On the same mountain, in the same forest, Absalom, the son of David, was killed, for he fled there after the victory of his father, and a mule carried him there - into the thicket of that forest; and his head was caught in his hair, and he was taken off the mule, and he hung high on a tree, and was shot in the heart with three arrows; and so he died on that tree.
ABOUT THE SAME
That holy oak is next to the road; when you go there, on the right hand; and stands, beautiful, on a high mountain. And around its roots below, God paved it with marble, white as a church floor. Paved around all that good oak: in the middle of this platform a holy oak grew from this stone, amazing! At the top of that mountain, near this oak tree, it looked like a courtyard - level and clean, without stones; This is where Abraham's tent stood, near that oak tree to the east. This oak is not very tall, it is very spreading and dense with branches, and there is a lot of fruit on it. Its branches bent low to the ground, so that the husband, standing on the ground, could reach its branches. Its circumference at its thickest point is two fathoms, and the height of its trunk to its branches is one and a half fathoms. It’s amazing and wonderful that a tree has stood on such a high mountain for so many years and has not been damaged or crumbled! Stands approved by God, as if now planted. Under that oak tree the holy trinity came to Patriarch Abraham and dined with him, under that holy oak tree. And then the holy trinity blessed Abraham and Sarah his wife, and gave them the birth of Isaac in their old age. Here the holy trinity showed water to Abraham, and there is that well to this day under that mountain, close to the road. And all that land around that oak tree is called Mamre; That’s why that oak tree is called Mamre. And from that oak tree to Hebron is two miles.
ABOUT MOUNT HEBRON
Hebron is a big mountain; and the city on that mountain was large and very strong. Its buildings are dilapidated. A great many people used to live on that mountain, but now everything is empty.
The first to settle on that Mount Hebron after the flood was the grandson of Noah, the son of Ham, Canaan, having come from the construction of the Babylonian pillar. And he populated that entire land near Hebron, and that’s what that land is called: Canaanite. And God promised that land to Abraham when he was still living in Mesopotamia and Harran, for there was the house of Abraham’s father. And God said to Abraham: “Get out of your land, from your father’s house, and go to the land of Canaan, and I will give that land to you and to your seed forever, and I will be with you.” And now, truly, that land is promised by God, and blessed by God with all good things: wheat, and wine, and oil, and very abundant in every fruit, and rich in many livestock, and sheep and cattle will be born twice in the summer, and there are many bees in the stones of those mountains beautiful, also there are many vineyards along those hills, and there are many fruit trees - without number: olives, fig trees, and horns, and apple trees, and cherries, and others. And every fruit is here, and that fruit is better and greater than all the fruits that are on earth under heaven. There are no such fruits anywhere else. And water is good in that place and useful in every way. And that place itself surpasses everything in beauty and every kind of goodness. Unspeakable is the land near Hebron! And there was the house of David - on this mountain of Hebron; and David dwelt there eight years, when his son Absalom drove him out.
And from Hebron to the Greater Cave of Abraham it is close, closer than half a mile. The deep cave is located in a stone mountain, and in that cave is the tomb of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Abraham bought this deep cave from Ephron the Hittite for the burial of his entire family when he came from Mesopotamia to the land of Haschshei. And at first he bought nothing except the Suguboy cave for burial for himself and his entire family. And now a small but very strong fortress has been built around that cave. The fortress was built wonderfully and with indescribable art from large stones, and its walls were very high. Located in the middle of that fortress, the cave is now well protected. And that entire fortress was paved with marble slabs, white marble. The cave where Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the sons of Israel lie is located below under the pavement, well fortified; and their wives lie here, Sarah, Rebekah. And Rachel lies separately by the road near Bethlehem. And now separate coffins have been made over the cave in that fortress; Small round churches were built over those coffins. And the tomb of Abraham and his wife Sarah are close together; and the tomb of Isaac and his wife Rebekah are close together; The tomb of Jacob and his wife Leah stand close to each other.
ABOUT JOSEPH'S TOMB
Joseph the Beautiful's coffin is outside that town, outside the Suguba Cave; The distance is like throwing a stone to that town. This place is now called “Saint Abraham”: nearby there is a high mountain, to the south of the Suguba Cave, the distance is one mile; the holy trinity with Abraham ascended to that mountain, for to that mountain Abraham led the holy trinity from the oak of Mamre. And there is a place on the top of that mountain, very beautiful and high, in which place Abraham, falling on his face, bowed to the Holy Trinity, prayed and said:
ABOUT ABRAHAM'S PRAYER
"God! May you not destroy the righteous while the wicked perish! But if, Lord, you find fifty righteous people in Sodom, will you, Lord, have mercy on that whole city, fifty for the sake of the righteous?” And the Lord said to Abraham: “If I find fifty righteous people among the Sodomites, I will not destroy that whole city, fifty for the sake of the righteous.” And again Abraham bowed to God and said: “If there are thirty righteous people among the Sodomites, will you not have mercy on that whole city?” And the Lord said to Abraham: “If there are thirty righteous people among the Sodsemites, I will not destroy that whole city.” And Abraham bowed to the Lord and said: “Much merciful and patient with our iniquities, Lord! Do not be angry with me, your servant, and I will say again: if there are fifteen righteous people among the Sodomites, will you, Lord, have mercy on that entire city, fifteen for the sake of the righteous?” And the Lord God said to Abraham: “If there are fifteen righteous people among the Sodomites, I will not destroy the whole city; fifteen for the sake of the righteous, nor five for the sake of the righteous I will destroy the whole city.” And Abraham fell silent and did not add anything to what was said. From this mountain the holy trinity sent two angels to Sodom so that they would bring out Log, the nephew of Abraham. There, in that place, then Abraham offered a sacrifice to God, sprinkling wheat on the fire. And that is why that place is called “Abraham’s Sacrifice.” And the place is very high, and the whole land of Canaan can be seen from there.
And from the sacrifice of Abraham to the Greznova gorge is one mile, and from the Greznova gorge to the Atanatov threshing floor is one mile.
ABOUT LOT'S TOMBEN LOCATED IN ZIGOR
And from there it’s two miles to Zoar. And there is the tomb of Lot and his two daughters; two coffins in total. In that mountain there was a large cave into which Lot ran with his daughters. And there is a settlement of ancient people nearby; There was a high city on that mountain. This is what is called Zoar.
And at a distance of a mile from there, on a hill, south of Zoar, Lot’s wife stands like a pillar of stone. And from Lot’s wife to Sodom is two miles. And we saw all this with our own eyes, but with our feet we could not reach the place where Sodom was, because we were afraid of the filthy. Orthodox people did not allow us to go there; they told us this: “You won’t see anything there, but only sulfur. And the stench comes from there. And you will get sick,” they told us, “from that evil stench.” So from there we returned again to Saint Abraham and, protected by the grace of God, we went in good health to the Augmented Cave, to the fortress. And there they bowed to all the holy places and rested there for two days. By the grace of God there we found many good fellow travelers going to Jerusalem. And we joined them, and walked joyfully with them without fear, and reached the holy city of Jerusalem in good health, and praised God, who made us, unworthy, worthy to see those holy places, ineffable and ineffable.
There is a monastery of St. Chariton to the south of Bethlehem on the same river Afama, near the Sea of Sodom in the stone mountains: and there is desert around it. The place is menacing and waterless and dry. Beneath it there is a very scary stone gorge. It was completely surrounded by a fence; in the middle of the fenced area there are two churches; in the larger church there is the tomb of St. Chariton. And outside the fence there is a tomb, skillfully made. In that tomb lie the holy fathers, their bodies as if alive. And there are more than seven hundred of them there. Here lies Saint Cyriacus the Confessor, his whole body intact; Here lie the sons of Xenophon, John and Arkady, and a wonderful fragrance emanates from them. And we bowed there, in that holy place, and went to the mountain, south of that monastery, about a mile away.
And there is a flat place in the field where the prophet Habakkuk was raptured when he went to the field to the reapers with food and water. And the angel brought him to Babylon to Daniel the prophet in the ditch, and from there, having fed Daniel and given him something to drink, he was again delighted by the angel, and at the same hour, on the same day, again, again in the same place with the reapers and gave lunch for them. And now it stands in its place, like a mansion built in honor of the sign. From there the distance to Babylon is forty days.
And not far from that place there is a large church, built in a cage, in the name of the holy prophets. And down there, under that church, there is a large cave in which lie twelve prophets in three shrines: Habakkuk, Nahum, Micah, Ezekiah, Obadiah, Zechariah, Ezekiel, Ishmael, Saveel, Baruch, Amos and Hosea.
And close there on the mountain there is a very large village; and many Saracens live in it; and there are many Christians right there in that village.
And this village is the homeland of the holy prophets: the holy prophets were born there, and this is their homeland - that village. And there we slept one night, in that village, protected by God’s grace. And the Christians in that village received us well. And from there, having slept well that night and getting up early the next morning, we went to Bethlehem. The Saracen elder himself with weapons escorted us all the way to Bethlehem; and he also took us through all those places. And without protection you cannot reach those places because of the filth, for many Saracens go there to rob, in those mountains. And we reached the holy city of Bethlehem in good health, and there we worshiped the Nativity of Christ, and, having spent the night there, we went joyfully to the holy city of Jerusalem.
WHERE DAVID KILLED GOLIATH
And there is a place there near Jerusalem, to the east of the pillar of David, where you can finish shooting: in that place David killed Goliath. The place is near the tank, there is now a good field there.
And from there the distance is a shot to the cave in which lie the relics of many holy martyrs who were killed in Jerusalem during the reign of Heraclius; and the place is called Agai Mamila.
WHERE THE HONEST TREE GREW And from that place to Holy Cross one mile. And there is behind the mountain, to the west of Jerusalem, a place where the footstool of Christ was carved, to which the most pure feet of our Lord Jesus Christ were nailed. The place is surrounded by a wall, and a church is built inside high altitude
, in the name of the Honest Cross; all beautifully written. And under the great altar, deep under the table, there is the stump of that honest tree. And it was well strengthened and lined over that stump with slabs of white marble, and the window was made against that tree, round in shape. This is the Iversky Monastery.
ABOUT THE HOUSE OF ZECHARIAH
And from that monastery to the house of Zechariah there are four miles, and the place of the house is under the mountain, west of Jerusalem. The Holy Mother of God came to that house of Zakharyin to Elizabeth under the mountain and kissed Elizabeth. And it happened that, as soon as Elizabeth felt Mary’s kiss, the baby leaped, rejoicing, in her womb, and Elizabeth said: “Where did the mother of my Lord come to me from? Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” John the Baptist was born in the same house. And now a high church has been erected on that spot. When you go to that church, on the left hand, under the small altar, there is a small cave, in that cave John the Baptist was born. And the whole place is surrounded by a stone fence.
And from there - half a mile through the gorge to the mountain to which Elizabeth ran and said: “Mountain, receive the mother and child!” And immediately the mountain parted and received her. Herod’s servants, who were following her trail, when they arrived at that place, found nothing and returned tired. And the place on that stone is known to this day. And there is now a small church above that place; Below, under that church, there is a small cave; and another church was built in front of that cave. Very good water flows out of that cave; Saint Elizabeth drank this water, being here with John in that mountain, because here she lived until the death of Herod, for an angel kept her in that mountain. That mountain is very large, and there is a lot of forest on it, and there are many gorges around it. And it is located west of Jerusalem. That place is called Orini. David the prophet fled to the same mountain from Jerusalem from King Saul.
And from that mountain to the west, two miles to Rama, about which the prophet Jeremiah says: “A voice was heard in Rama, crying and sobbing in her ears: Rachel mourns her children and does not want to be consoled, for they are not.” Rama Ta is a large gorge, along which many villages are scattered. And all that land near that gorge is now called Ramah and belongs to the Bethlehem region. It was here, in Rama, that King Herod sent his soldiers to beat the holy babies.
ABOUT ELMAUS
And from Rama to the west four miles to Elmaus, where Christ on the third day after the resurrection appeared to Luke and Cleopas when they walked from Jerusalem to the village, and where they recognized Christ by the breaking of bread. At this place there was that large village. A church was built on that site. Now everything has been ruined by the filthy people, and the village of Elmaus is empty. And the place where it was was off to the side of the road passing there behind the mountain; on the right hand when you go from Jerusalem to Jaffa.
And from Yelmaus to Lydda there are four miles. You have to walk across the field to Lydda. On this site there was a very large city called Lydda, now called Ramblium. In this Lydda, Peter healed Enyas as he lay on his bed.
And from Lydda to Opia there are ten miles, all across the field. In that city of Opia, Saint Peter the Apostle resurrected Tabitha. In the same city, while fasting on the roof at the ninth hour, Peter saw a shroud coming down from heaven, hanging by its four ends, and when it reached him, Peter looked and saw that the shroud was full of four-legged creatures and every reptile. And a voice from heaven said to him: “Peter, rise, kill and eat!” And Peter said: “Lord, never has anything foul or unclean entered my mouth.” And a voice from heaven said to him: “What God has purified, do not consider unclean.” And in that place now a church was created in the name of St. Peter. The city of Opium stands close to the sea, and the sea comes to its walls. And now that city of Jaffa is called in the Fryag language. And from Jaffa to Tarsuf six miles.
ABOUT CAESARIA PHILIPPI
And from Tarsuf to Caesarea Philippi it is twenty-four miles, all along the sea. In that Caesarea, Saint Peter the Apostle baptized Cornelius. There is also a nearby mountain, two miles from that city to the south, where Father Marcian lived, to whom a harlot woman came to tempt him.
ABOUT CAPERNAUM
And from Caesarea Philippi to the city of Capernaum it is eight miles. Capernaum was a very large city, and there were many people in it, but now that city is empty. And it is located near the Great Sea. The prophet speaks about this Capernaum: “Capernaum! You have ascended to heaven, and you will descend to hell.” For the Antichrist must come out of this city. It was because of this that the friags devastated this entire city of Capernaum.
ABOUT MOUNT CARMIL
And from Capernaum to Mount Carmel it is six miles. In this mountain, the holy prophet Elijah lived in a cave; and there that Elijah the prophet was fed by a raven. On the same mountain, Elijah stabbed the priests of Baal with a knife and said: “Being jealous, I was jealous for the Lord my God.” That Carmel mountain is very high, and the Great Sea is near that mountain, about a mile away. From Mount Carmel to the city, to Cephas, it is one mile.
ABOUT ACRE-CITY
And from Cephas to Acre is fifteen miles. That city, Acre, is very large and strong in structure, and there is a good bay under that city. This is a Saracen city, but now it is owned by the Fryags. And from Acre to Tire the city is ten miles, and from Tire to Sidon ten miles. And there is a nearby village called Sarefta of Sidon: in that village Elijah the prophet raised the son of a widow.
ABOUT THE CITY OF VIRITE
And from Sidon to Virita-city is fifteen miles. In that city, the Jews pierced the image of Christ with a spear: blood and water came out, and then many believed and were baptized in the name of the father and son and the holy spirit. And to the same city of Virit, Xenophon’s sons John and Arkady went to study philosophy. And from Virit to Zevel twenty versts, and from Zevel to Tripoli forty versts, and from Tripoli to the Sudiya River sixty versts.
ABOUT THE GREAT ANTIOCH
Antioch the Great stands on that river. And from the sea, the city of Antioch is more than eight miles away. It’s a hundred miles to Adekia, then Little Antioch, then Kaninoros, then Mavronoros, then Satilia-town, then Khidonia - a small island. And all those cities stand near the sea; and we passed all those cities by sea without stopping, although we came close to those cities. Fearing the military, they did not stop at Khidonia. And from there we walked to Myra, then to Patara-city, and at that city corsairs in four galleys met us, captured us and robbed us all. And from there we came to Constantinople and reached Constantinople in good health.
ABOUT GALILEE AND THE SEA OF Tiberias
And there is a path from Jerusalem to Galilee, to the Sea of Tiberias, and to Mount Tabor, and to Nazareth. All this land near the Sea of Tiberias is called Galilee, and that land lies in the direction from Jerusalem to the southeast. And the city of Tiberias is located four days' journey from Jerusalem, if you go on foot. And this path is very terrible and very difficult: to walk in the stone mountains for three days, and for the fourth day to walk along the Jordan across the field, all the way to the east right up to the upper reaches of the Jordan, where the Jordan River originates.
And God gave me to go that way like this: the prince of Jerusalem Baldvin went to war to Damascus along the way to the Sea of Tiberias, for there the road to Damascus passes, past the Sea of Tiberias. I found out that the prince wanted to follow that path to Tiberias, I went to him, bowed to him and said: “And I would like to go with you to the Sea of Tiberias, to walk around all those holy places near the Sea of Tiberias. For God's sake, take me, prince! Then this prince joyfully ordered me to go with him and assigned me to his servants. Then with great joy I hired something to ride for myself. And thus we passed through those terrible places with the royal soldiers without fear and without damage. And without warriors no one can pass that road; but only Saint Helena walked that path, and no one else.
And this is the way to Tiberias: from Jerusalem to the well of the Holy Mother of God it is ten versts, and from that well to the Gelvunian Mountains it is four versts. And on those mountains of Gilvun, Saul, the king of Judah, was killed, and his son Anathan was killed right there. These mountains are large, stony, dry, waterless, for there is never dew on them. And from those mountains to David’s well are two miles, and from that well to David’s cave are four miles. In that cave, God gave King Saul into the hands of David, and he did not kill him while he was sleeping, but cut off a piece of his blanket and took his sword and towel. And from those mountains to the Shechem Mountains and to Joseph’s Trench there are four miles. On those mountains the sons of Jacob tended the flocks of their father Jacob; Joseph the Beautiful came to those mountains to his brothers, having been sent to them by his father, bringing them peace and blessing from his father Jacob. They, seeing their brother Joseph, stood up and grabbed him, and threw him into a ditch, which ditch exists to this day - like a deep wall, built of large stones, and very strong. And there we had to go to bed for the night, in that place. For this place is located near the path of people, on the right hand when you walk there.
ABOUT JACOB'S WELL
And from there it is ten miles to Joseph’s dwelling, which is called Sychar. And there is Jacob's well, deep and large, and the water is very cold and tasty. At that well, Christ talked with the Samaritan woman. And we lay there overnight.
ABOUT SAMARIA
And from there the city of Samaria is not far away - about half a mile from that well. The city of Samaria is very large and abounds in all good things. That city of Samaria stands between two high mountains; There are many springs of cold water flowing beautifully in the middle of that city. And there were all kinds of fruit trees without number: figs, hazels, horns and olives, like oak groves, like forests all over that land near Samaria. Along the edges of those fields are fertile fields. And that land near Samaria is beautiful and very amazing. And that place is abundant in all good things: oil and wine, wheat and fruits. And simply put, from there Jerusalem receives all the good that it lives on. And now that city of Samaria is called Neapoli. And from there, two miles away, west of the city of Samaria, there is a place called Sevastopol; and a small fortification was built here, this is the prison of St. John the Baptist of Christ: in this prison John the Forerunner of Christ was beheaded by Herod the King. And there is the tomb of St. John the Baptist, and a good church was created in that place in the name of John the Baptist. And now there is a Fryazh monastery there, very rich.
ABOUT ARIMATHEA-CITY
And from there four miles to Arimathea. There is the tomb of St. Joseph and St. Maleleel. This place is located west of Samaria, in the mountains. A small fence was built over the place; A good cell church was built over the tomb of St. Joseph. That place is called Arimathea. And from Samaria the path to the Sea of Tiberias is to the southeast.
ABOUT THE CITY OF VASANI
From Samaria to the city of Bashan is thirty miles. In that city of Bashan was Og, king of Bashan, whom Joshua killed at Jericho. The place looks scary and very menacing. Seven rivers flow out of that settlement of Vasan; and there were large reeds along those rivers, and many dates stood tall in that fort, like a dense forest. And this place is terrible and unsuitable for passage, for strong filthy Saracens live there and robber on those rivers and fords. And there are a lot of lions here. And a large swamp adjoins that city of Bashan on the Jordan side. And those rivers flow from Bashan to Jordan. That is why there are many lions in that place.
And there is an amazing cave there, under that city to the east. It turned out to be in the shape of a cross. A spring flows out of that cave, and there is a wonderful reservoir there, formed itself and as if created by God. In that pond Christ himself bathed with his disciples. And the place where Christ sat on a stone is known to this day. We, unworthy ones, swam there too. In that city of Bashan, the Jews tested Christ: they showed him a denarius and said: “Should tribute be given or not?” He told them: “Whose image and inscription are here? Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s!” And Christ said, turning to Peter: “Go, cast a fishing rod into the sea, and open your mouth to the fish that you catch first, take out the statir and give it for me and for yourself!” Near the same city of Bashan, Christ healed two blind men who cried out while following him.
ABOUT THE JORDAN RIVER
And from Bashan to the upper reaches of the Jordan and to Mytnitsa Matthew, twenty miles; and all the way you walk across the field near the Jordan, drinking water from the Jordan, very tasty and clean, all the way to the east you go to the very top of the Jordan. The Jordan originates from the Sea of Tiberias, from two sources; It boils very wonderfully. The name of one source is Jor, and the other source is called Dan. From there the Jordan emerges with two rivers from the Sea of Tiberias. They are far from each other, about three shootings between them; and those rivers flow separately for a little while, about half a mile, and then both rivers merge into one river, and it is called Jordan - after the names of two sources. The Jordan flows quickly, clean water, and very tortuous. It looks like the Again River to everyone: in width, depth, and backwaters it is similar to the Jordan Again River. And there are a lot of fish in its upper reaches. And at the very top of the Jordan there are two stone bridges across both streams, built firmly on arches, and under those bridges the Jordan flows, through the spans of those bridges.
ABOUT MYTNITSIA MATTHEW
The Mytnitsa of Matthew, the apostle of Christ, was close to those bridges, for here all the paths leading through the Jordan to Damascus and Mesopotamia converge. And there, in that place, Prince Baldvin and his soldiers stopped for lunch. Immediately we stopped with him at the very top of the Jordan. We swam at the very top of the Jordan in the Sea of Tiberias. And then they walked around the Sea of Tiberias without fear and without fear through all those holy places. Where Christ our God walked with his feet, there God granted me, wicked and sinful, to walk and allowed me to see the whole country of Galilee. What I never hoped to see, God showed me so that I could see, walking around with my sinful feet all that holy and desired land. Not falsely, in truth, as I saw, so I wrote about the holy places. Many others who have reached these places and have not been able to find out well are deceived about these places, and others who have not reached these places lie a lot and make things up. But to me, the bad one, God showed me a holy man, old in days, very bookish, and spiritual, who lived in Galilee for thirty years, and who lived with Saint Sava in the Lavra for twenty years; and that husband showed me everything truly, having thoroughly learned it from the holy books. And why do I, a sinner, see so much good?
And they stood there at that bridge all that day. And in the evening, Prince Baldwin went across the Jordan to Damascus with his soldiers, but we went to the city of Tiberias and there we stayed for ten days in that city until Prince Baldwin returned from that war from Damascus. During that time we visited all those holy places near the Sea of Tiberias.
ABOUT THE SEA OF Tiberias
The Sea of Tiberias can be bypassed like a lake; and its water is so tasty that the one who drinks that water will never be satisfied. It is fifty miles long and twenty miles across. There are a lot of fish in it; and there is one very amazing and wonderful fish there, which Christ loved to eat; And that fish is more delicious to eat than any other fish, but in appearance it is like carp. And I ate that fish many times while I was there in the city. Christ ate the same fish after the resurrection when he came to his disciples while fishing and said: “Children! Is there anything to eat?” They said: “No.” And he said to them: “Throw from the right side of the net.”
ABOUT THE UPPER JORDAN
The distance from the upper Jordan and from those bridges to the bath of Christ, and to the bath of the Holy Mother of God, and to the bath of the apostles is six miles; and from the bathhouse of the holy apostles to the city of Tiberias is one mile.
The city of Tiberias used to be very large: two miles long and a mile wide; and a little further away is the Sea of Tiberias. In that city, Christ our God performed many miracles: there is a place there, in the middle of the city, where Christ cleansed the leper; there was the house of the mother-in-law of Peter the Apostle, and there Christ entered that house to heal Petrov’s mother-in-law from the fiery disease; and here, in that place, a church was created in the name of the Apostle Peter, round in shape. There was the house of Simon the leper, where at the evening the harlot wet the feet of our most pure Lord Jesus Christ with her tears, and wiped them with her hair, and accepted the remission of countless sins. In the same city he healed a bent woman. There was a miracle with the centurion. They immediately hung the bed with the sick young man, dismantling the roof. He immediately had mercy on the Canaanite woman. There is a cave there with very tasty and cold water, where Christ ran when they wanted to install him as king in Galilee. And Christ performed many other miracles in that city. In that city is the tomb of Elisha the prophet, son of Arafat. Here, close to the road, is the tomb of Joshua. And there is a large stone there near the sea, to the east of the city, at a distance of a shot: Christ stood on that stone and taught here the peoples that came to him from the seaside of Tire and Sidon, from Decapolis and from all of Galilee; and from here he sent the peoples and his disciples away, and they went to the other side of the sea in ships. But Jesus himself remained here, and then from here he crossed the sea, walking on dry ground with his feet, and found himself on the other side of the sea in front of the people. When they arrived, they found Jesus walking there, and they said: “Teacher, when did you come here?” He told them: “With God, everything possible for people is impossible.” Ten miles from Tiberias to that place by sea; and that place is located on the slope of a mountain at a distance of one mile from the sea.
WHERE CHRIST FEED FIVE THOUSAND HUSBANDS
The place is flat and grassy; in this place Christ fed five thousand people with five loaves of bread, not counting wives and children; and twelve baskets of slices remained.
WHERE CHRIST APPEARED TO HIS DISCIPLES FOR THE THIRD TIME, RISING FROM THE DEAD
And there, near the Sea of Tiberias, there is a place under the mountain where Christ appeared to his disciples after his resurrection for the third time: Christ came and, standing near the lake, said: “Children, is there anything to eat?” They answered: “No.” And Jesus said to them: “Cast the net on the right side, as I tell you, and you will catch it.” They abandoned it, it seemed that they could not drag it in because of the multitude of fish; They pulled a net full of large fish onto land - one hundred and fifty-three in total. And they saw fire, and bread, and baked fish by the net, and then Christ gave them food. A church was established there in the name of the holy apostles. And close from there was the house of Mary Magdalene; there Christ healed her of seven demons; and that place is called Magdalia.
ABOUT THE CITY OF BETHSAIDE
And from there, close by, on Mount Bethsaida, is the town of Andreev and Petrov. And there is a place there where Philip brought Nathanael to Peter and Andrew.
WHERE CHRIST CAME TO THE DISCIPLES WHEN THEY WERE FISHING
And there is a place on the sea where Christ came to the brothers Zebedee and to Andrew and Peter, when they were dragging and mending nets; and then Andrew and Peter recognized Christ, and left the boat and nets there, and followed Christ. There, near the sea and the village was Zebedee, John's father. And there was the house of the theologian John. And Christ cast out a legion of demons from a man there and commanded them to enter the pigs; This is where the pigs drowned in the sea. And nearby there is the village of Capernaum.
And from there there is a large river nearby, which flows from Lake Genisarite and flows into the Sea of Tiberias. Lake Genisarites is very large, forty miles wide, round in shape, there are a lot of fish in it. And there, near that lake, there is a city named Genisira; That is why it is called that way - Genisarite.
ABOUT THE CITY OF DECAPOLY
And there is another very large city there called Dekapolis. And there is a level place there near that lake: in that place Jesus stood, teaching the nations that came from Decapolis and from the seaside of Tire and Sidon; This is the place the Gospel speaks about. And Jesus performed many other miracles near that lake.
ABOUT MOUNT LEBANON
And there is, on the other side, to the southeast of that lake, a very high and very big mountain; snow lies on it all summer; the name of Mount Lebanon. On that mountain Lebanon and white incense will be born. And twelve great rivers flowed from that Mount Lebanon: six rivers flowed to the east, and six rivers to the south. And those rivers flow into Lake Genisarit. And six rivers go to Great Antioch. That’s why that place is called Mesopotamia, which means Middle. And there, between those rivers, is Haran, where Abraham came from. Those rivers fill Lake Genisarith with many waters. And from that lake flows big river into the Sea of Tiberias, and with that water the water in the Sea of Tiberias is restored. And from that sea flows the Jordan. As I said before about the Jordan, so it truly is.
I could not reach that Lebanese mountain with my feet because of the fear of the filthy. But the Christians living there who took us there told me well about that mountain; They didn’t let us go there, to that mountain. So only with our own eyes we saw that mountain and those places near that lake of Genisarite. And that lake is close to the Sea of Tiberias, about two miles away; To the southeast of Tiberias is Lake Genisarites.
ABOUT MOUNTAIN FAVOR
Mount Tabor and Nazareth from the Sea of Tiberias to the west; Eight miles of long walk to Mount Tabor: just climb one mountain, climb another small mountain, and the rest is all along the field - all the way to Mount Tabor. Mount Tabor was wonderfully and amazingly and inexpressibly beautiful for God: it was placed beautifully, and very high, and large, and stands in the middle of that beautiful field, like a round haystack. The mountain turned out beautiful. And it stands away from all the mountains. And the river flows near that mountain across the field below. And all sorts of trees grew all over Mount Tabor: fig trees, horns and olives - a lot. Mount Tabor is taller than everything around it, stands alone, apart from all the mountains, and stands in the middle of a field very beautifully, like a skillfully made haystack - round, very tall and large in circumference. Its height is such that you can shoot from it four times; and if you shoot up at it, then even in eight shots it’s impossible to reach the top of it. This whole mountain is made of stone, climbing it is difficult and very uncomfortable; you have to cling to the stones with your hands to climb it. The path is very difficult, so I climbed it with difficulty. From the third to the ninth hour, walking quickly, we barely reached the very top of that holy mountain. And at the very top of that mountain, to the northeast, there is a high place, like a small stone peaked hill: in that place Christ our God was transfigured. And there a good church was built, in that place, in the name of the Transfiguration, and another church, in the name of the holy prophets Moses and Elijah, was built at a distance from that place, to the north of the Transfiguration.
ABOUT THE PLACE WHERE CHRIST WAS TRANSFORMED
The place of the Holy Transfiguration is tightly fenced around with a stone fence. Iron gates at that fence. Previously there was a bishopric here, now it is a Latin monastery. And in front of that fence, a beautiful field appeared on the top of that mountain. It is wonderful and amazingly arranged by God that there is water here at such a height; for there is much water on that mountain at its very top. Therefore, along that mountain there are fields and good vineyards, and many fruit trees. And you can see from it very far.
IN THE CAVE OF MELCHIZEDEK
Right there, on the same Mount Tabor, there is a very wonderful cave out of the blue. It looks like a small cellar carved into stone. And there was a small window at the top of that saint’s cave. The meal was made at the bottom of that cave on the eastern side. Its doors are small; The entrance to this cave is via steps from the west. And in front of the doors of that cave there are small fig trees. There are all sorts of small trees around her. Before there was a large forest there, near that cave, but now there are small and weak trees there. Saint Melchizedek lived in that cave. And here Abraham came to him and called out three times, saying: “Man of God!” Melchizedek went out and brought out bread and wine, made an altar here in that cave, and offered a sacrifice with bread and wine; and the victim was immediately taken to heaven to God. And there Melchizedek blessed Abraham, and Abraham tonsured him and cut his nails, for Melchizedek was shaggy. And this was the beginning of the liturgy with bread and wine, and not with unleavened bread. The prophet says about this: “You are a bishop forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” The cave is located at a distance of about a good shot from the Transfiguration; in the western direction it is a holy place.
We were well received there, in that monastery near the Holy Transfiguration, and we had lunch there. And having slept well and got up, they went to the Church of the Holy Transfiguration, and bowed down at the holy place where Christ our God was transfigured, and kissed that holy place with love and great joy, and, taking a blessing from the abbot and from all the brethren, they left that monastery Saint and went around all the holy places throughout that holy mountain. For there, past that cave of Melchizedek, the road goes to Nazareth. Nazareth lies to the west of Tabor. And again, for the second time, we entered with love into that holy cave and worshiped the holy meal that Melchizedek created while he was with Abraham. And that meal remains in that cave to this day. And now Saint Melchizedek often comes there and serves the liturgy in that holy cave, and then all the faithful who live on that holy mountain rest. They truly told me about this. And we praised God, who made us, bad and unworthy, worthy to see those holy places and kiss them with unworthy lips.
And then we went down from Mount Tabor down to the fields and walked along the field two miles to Nazareth, to the west. And from Mount Tabor to Nazareth there are fifteen miles: two miles in the field, and three in the mountains; the path is very difficult and narrow, they very rarely go there, for many filthy Saracens sit in those mountains, and along that field many Saracens sat down, and they kill, leaving those villages, on that terrible mountain. And I was afraid to go that way with a small number of companions. With a large detachment it would have been possible to go through those routes without fear, but we did not have a detachment. And we ourselves, alone - and there are eight of us in total, and those weak and without weapons - trusting in God, passed through. Protected by God's grace and observed by the prayers of our holy Lady Theotokos, without any harm we reached the holy city of Nazareth, where the holy annunciation to the holy Lady Theotokos was given by the angel Gabriel. Christ was also fed right there.
ABOUT THE CITY OF NAZARETH
Nazareth is a small town in the mountains on a low place, so that only when you are above it you can see it. In the middle of that town, a large and tall church was built with three altars. And when you enter that church, on your left hand there is, as it were, a small, deep cave in front of the small altar. There are two small doors near that cave: some doors are from the west, and others are from the east. The entrance to that cave is through the steps in both those doors. When you enter that cave through the western doors, on your right hand there is a cell built with small doors: in that cell the Holy Mother of God lived with Christ, here Christ was fed, in that holy room; here is his bed, on which Jesus lay - here, in that cell, his bed was made so low above the ground.
ABOUT THE TOMB OF JOSEPH THE BETROOPED
In the same cave - when you enter it through the western doors, on your left hand - there is the tomb of St. Joseph, Mary's betrothed. Here Christ himself buried him with his most pure hands. Near his tomb, something like myrrh, white holy water, comes out from the wall near his tomb, and they take it to heal the sick.
ABOUT THE CAVE WHERE THE HOLY VIRGIN SAT
There is a place there in that cave - close to the western doors: in that place the Holy Mother of God sat, close to the door, and twisted koknit, which means purple. This is where the Archangel Gabriel came, sent from God to the virgin Mary.
WHERE THE ARCHANGEL ANNOUNCED THE HOLY VIRGIN
And he stood in front of her, becoming visible to her eyes, a little further from the place where the most pure maiden was sitting. Approximately three pillars are the distance from the cave doors to the place where Gabriel stood. There is a small round marble table set up on one pillar, and the liturgy is served at that table.
ABOUT THE HOUSE OF JOSEPH THE BEtrothed
There was Joseph's house where that holy cave is located: all this happened in the house of Joseph, Mary's betrothed. And then a church was created over that holy cave in the name of the Holy Annunciation. This holy place was empty before, but now the fryags have renovated and arranged the place well. And there dwells a Latin bishop, very rich, and owns that holy place. And they honored us there with good drink, and food, and everything. And we slept there one night, in that town. And, having slept well and got up the next morning, we went to that church and worshiped all those holy places. And leaving that city, we went a little to the southeast and found a wonderful well, both deep and very cold; and you have to go down to that water, deep down the steps. And above that well, a church was created in the name of the Archangel Gabriel, and it is round in shape.
ABOUT THE WELL WHERE AN ANGEL BREAKED THE GOSSIP FOR THE FIRST TIME
From the city of Nazareth the distance is approximately a good shot to the well of that saint. After all, at that well there was the first annunciation to the Holy Mother of God from the archangel. For she came on the water, when I scooped up my waterpot, an angel invisibly shouted to her, saying: “Rejoice, joyful one, the Lord is with you!” Looking around here and there, Mary saw no one, but only heard a voice and, taking her waterpot, she went away, wondering and saying in her mind: “What is this voice that I heard without seeing anyone?” And she entered Nazareth, and entered her house, and sat down in the above-mentioned place, and began to twist the koknit, and then the Archangel Gabriel appeared clearly, standing in the above-mentioned place. Then he announced the Nativity of Christ to her.
From Nazareth to the village of Esau it is five miles.
ABOUT CANA OF GALILEE
And from that village to Cana of Galilee, one and a half miles. The Cape of Galilee stands on a crowded path, and there Christ turned water into wine. And there we found a large detachment going to Acre, and we joined them with great joy, and went with them to Acre.
Acre was a Saracen city, and now it is owned by the Fryags. This town of Acre is located on the Great Sea, and the bay below it is very beautiful. The town has everything in abundance. And from Nazareth to Acre there are twenty-eight miles. Acre is located south of Nazareth. And we stayed there, in Acre, for four days. And having rested there well, and having found a large detachment going to the holy city of Jerusalem, they joined that detachment and went away with joy, having fun. And they came to Kaifa. And from there they went to Mount Carmel, and there they went. And there, in that mountain, is the cave of St. Elijah the Prophet. And we worshiped there, and from there we went to Capernaum. And from Capernaum they came to Caesarea Philippi. And the way there goes all the way near the Great Sea across the field, and then along the sands all the way to Caesarea. We stayed there for three days, in that city of Caesarea. Cornelius lived there and was baptized by the Apostle Peter. And from Caesarea they went to Samaria. To the left of Caesarea is the road to Samaria, through the mountains; twenty versts from Caesarea to Samaria. And the next day at noon they were in Samaria. But because of the heat they walked slowly: people could not walk in the heat. And we spent that night in front of that city of Samaria at Jacob’s well, where Christ talked with the Samaritan woman.
ABOUT JERUSALEM
And from there we got up and went our way, by which we had first come from Jerusalem. And they reached the holy city of Jerusalem with great joy and greetings.
We did not see any evil on this path, but God showed us everything well, so that we could see with our own eyes all those holy places. Where Christ our God went for our salvation, He also vouchsafed us, sinners, to go there and gave us to see those holy places. And we saw that wonderful land of Galilee with our own eyes; God has vouchsafed me to go around the whole land of Palestine. And, protected by God's grace, they set out without dirty tricks, observing the prayers of the Holy Mother of God, and walked around the entire Palestinian land. After all, that land all around Jerusalem is called Palestine.
We strengthen with God’s help, I went around those holy places, not meeting anywhere either the filthy or the fierce beast, I did not have to see any other evil, I did not feel any slight weakness in my body, but I was always, like an eagle, relieved, preserved by God’s grace and we strengthen with the power of the Highest. Although I should boast, I will only boast in the strength of my Christ: for my strength is made perfect in weakness, as the Apostle Paul says. And what will I repay to the Lord for everything that he has given to me, bad, sinful and unworthy, to give me so much grace to see and walk through these holy places and to fulfill the desire of my heart? After all, what I was honored to see, God showed it to me, so that I could see, an unworthy and bad slave.
And forgive me, brothers, fathers and my masters, and do not reproach my weakness for writing not cunningly, but simply about the places of these saints, and about Jerusalem, and about this promised land. However, although he did not write wisely, he did not write falsely either: as he saw with his own eyes, so he wrote.
ABOUT THE HEAVENLY LIGHT: HOW IT DESCENDS TO THE LORD’S SEMBLE
And this is about the holy light: how it descends to the Holy Sepulcher. The Lord gave me this to see, a bad and unworthy slave. And I truly saw with my sinful eyes how the holy light descended to the life-giving tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ. Many wanderers tell lies about the descent of the holy light: after all, one says that the holy spirit descends like a dove to the Holy Sepulcher, and others say lightning descends from heaven, and so the lamps are lit over the Holy Sepulcher, and this is a lie and untruth, for nothing is visible then - no dove, no lightning. But so, invisibly, He descends from heaven by the grace of God and lights the lamps in the Holy Sepulcher. Yes, and I’ll tell you about this as I saw it, truly.
On Good Friday, after Vespers, they wipe the Holy Sepulcher, and wash all the lamps, and pour in pure oil without water - only that oil. And having stuck the lamps into the tins, they do not light those lamps, but leave those lamps unlit. And they seal the coffin at two in the morning. And then all the lamps and candles in all the churches in Jerusalem are extinguished.
Then I, bad and unworthy, on that Friday at one o’clock in the afternoon, went to that prince Baldwin and bowed to the ground. He, seeing me, bad, called me to him with love and said to me: “What do you want, Russian abbot?” He got to know me well and loved me very much, because he is a virtuous husband, very humble, and not at all proud. I told him: “My prince, my lord! I pray to you for the sake of God and the princes for the sake of the Russians: command me that I too place my lamp on the holy tomb from the entire Russian land!” Then he seriously and lovingly ordered me to place the lamp on the Holy Sepulcher, and sent with me my husband, his best servant, to the steward of the Church of the Holy Resurrection and to the one who holds the key to the tomb. And the steward and the steward of the holy tomb commanded me to bring my lamp with oil. I, having bowed to them, went with great joy and bought a glass lamp, very large, and, pouring it full of pure oil, brought it to the Holy Sepulcher, when evening had already come. I begged the housekeeper, who was then alone inside the tomb, and promised him something, and he opened the holy doors for me, ordered me to take off my boots, and so barefoot he led me alone into the holy tomb of the Lord with the lamp that I carried with me, and He ordered me to put the lamp on the Holy Sepulcher myself. And I placed it with my sinful hands at the feet - where the most pure feet of our Lord Jesus Christ lay. For at the heads stood a Greek lamp, and on the chests was placed the lamp of St. Sava and all the monasteries. After all, this is the custom here: every year they put up a Greek lamp and Saint Sava. And by the grace of God those three lamps lit up then. And the Fryazhsk lamp was hung on top, but not one of them caught fire.
I then, having placed a lamp on the holy tomb, and bowed to that honorable tomb, and kissed with love and with tears the holy place where the body of our Lord Jesus Christ lay, left the saint’s tomb with great joy and went to my cell.
The next day, on Holy Saturday, at six o'clock in the afternoon, all the people gather in front of the Church of the Holy Resurrection - countless people; inhabitants of that land and strangers from all countries: from Babylon, and from Egypt, and from all ends of the earth. An untold multitude gathers there that day. And all those places near the church and near the Crucifixion of Christ are filled with people. And there is great crowding and cruel crush among people, so that many people then suffocate from the crowding of countless people. And those people all stand with unlit candles and wait for the church doors to open. Then only the priests are inside the church. And the priests and all the people wait until the prince comes with his retinue; and then the church doors open, and people enter the church in great crowds and crushes, and fill that church and choir. Everything is being done in full, because all the people cannot fit into that church, but a lot of people remain outside the church near Golgotha and near the Kranievo place, and right up to the place where the crosses were found. And all this is done by countless numbers of people. And all those people in the church and outside the church say nothing else except: “Lord, have mercy!” They call unremittingly and shout loudly, so that the whole place hums and thunders from the cry of those people. And here the tears of the faithful people flow in streams. Even with a heart of stone, a person can then shed tears. For everyone then looks into himself and remembers his sins, and everyone says to himself: “Is it really because of my sins that the holy light will not come down?” And so all the faithful people stand in tears with broken hearts. And that Prince Baldwin himself stands with great fear and humility, and streams miraculously flow from his eyes. Also, his squad stands next to him opposite the tomb, near the large altar; and they all stand with humility.
And when the seventh hour of the Sabbath day came, then Prince Baldvin went to the Holy Sepulcher with his retinue from his house. Everyone went on foot. And the prince sent Saint Sava to the place, and called the abbot of that Saint Sava with his monks. And the abbot went with the brethren to the Holy Sepulcher. And I, thin, immediately went with the abbot and the brethren. And we approached that prince, and we all bowed to him. Then he bowed to the abbot and all the brethren, and ordered the abbot of Saint Sava and me, the thin one, to go next to him, and he ordered the other abbots and monks to all go in front of him, and ordered his squad to go behind. And we came to the Church of the Resurrection of Christ, to the western doors. And so many people closed the doors of the church, and then we could not enter the church. Then Prince Baldwin gave the order to the soldiers, and they forcibly dispersed the people and made, as it were, a street all the way to the coffin, and then we were able to walk between the people right up to the coffin. And we approached the eastern doors of the Holy Sepulcher, and the prince came up behind us and stood in his place on the right side at the barrier of the great altar opposite the eastern doors and the doors of the tomb, for here is the prince’s place, built high. And the prince ordered the abbot of Saint Sava to stand over the tomb with his monks and the Orthodox priests. He ordered me, the bad one, to be placed high above the very doors of the coffin, opposite the great altar, so that I could look into the doors of the coffin. All three doors of the tomb were sealed, and sealed with the royal seal. The Latin priests stood in the great altar. And when the eighth hour of the day arrived, the Orthodox priests, and the monks, and all the spiritual men began to sing vespers on the tomb above; and there were many hermits here; The Latins in the great altar began to squeal in their own way. And so they all sang, and I stood here, diligently looking at the doors of the coffin. And when they began to read the paremias of that Great Saturday, during the first paremia the bishop and the deacon came out of the great altar, approached the doors of the tomb, and looked into the coffin through the sacrum of those doors, and did not see the light in the coffin, and returned to their place. And when they began to read the sixth proverb, the same bishop approached the door of the tomb and again saw nothing. And then all the people cried out with tears: “Kyrie, eleison!”, which means “Lord, have mercy!” And when the ninth hour had passed and they began to sing the passage song “We sing to the Lord,” then suddenly a small cloud came from the east and stood over the uncovered top of that church, and a little rain fell over the holy tomb, and wetted us well, standing on the tomb. And then suddenly the holy light shone in the holy tomb, a terrible and bright brilliance came out of the holy tomb of the Lord. And approaching, the bishop with four deacons opened the doors of the coffin, and took a candle from that prince, from Baldvin, and with it entered the coffin, and first of all he lit the prince’s candle from that holy light. Having taken that candle out of the coffin, he gave it to the prince himself in his hands. And the prince stood in his place, holding the candle with great joy. And from him we all lit our candles. And from our candles, all the people lit their own candles throughout the church, lighting candles from each other.
The holy light is not like earthly fire, but miraculously, shining differently, unusually; and its flame is red as cinnabar; and glows absolutely unspeakably.
And so all the people stand with burning candles, and all the people cry out loudly, “Lord, have mercy!” with great joy and joy. Such joy cannot be experienced by a person in another case, what kind of joy does every Christian have who has seen the holy light of God. And whoever did not experience that joy on that day does not believe those who talk about everything he saw. However, wise and faithful people willingly believe and listen with joy to the story of this true event and these holy places. Faithful in little and faithful in much, and to an evil person, to the untrue, the true appears crooked. For me, the bad one, God is my witness, and the Holy Sepulcher, and all the companions, the Russian sons who happened there that day, the Novgorodians and Kyivians: Izyaslav Ivanovich, Gorodislav Mikhailovich Kashkich and many others who know about me, the bad one, and about this story. But let's return to the interrupted story.
When the light shone in the holy tomb, then the singing stopped and everyone exclaimed: “Kyrie, eleison!”, and they left the church with burning candles and with great joy, keeping their candles so that the wind would not extinguish them, and each of them went home . And from that holy light they light the lamps in their churches, and finish the evening singing at home. And in great church At the Holy Sepulcher the priests themselves, alone without people, finish their evening singing. Then we, the abbot and the brethren, went to our monastery, carrying burning candles, and there we finished the evening singing, and went to our cells, praising God, who gave us, unworthy, to see this grace of God.
And at matins on Holy Sunday, having sung the matins service, and after kissing the abbot and the brethren, after absolution, which took place at one o’clock in the afternoon, taking up the cross, the abbot and all the brethren went to the Holy Sepulcher, singing this kontakion: “Although to the grave come down, immortal!” And having entered the holy life-giving tomb, they kissed the holy tomb of the Lord with love and with warm tears and here they enjoyed the fragrant aroma of the holy spirit of the coming; and the lamps still burned brightly and wonderfully. Those three lamps were lit then, as the steward and the steward of the Holy Sepulcher told us. Turning to the abbot, they both said: “Below, standing on the Holy Sepulcher, those three lamps lit up.” And five other lamps hang over the coffin. But they burned then, although their light was different, not the same as that of those three lamps, unusually and miraculously glowing.
And then we left the tomb by the eastern doors and, entering the great altar, kissed the Orthodox there, and, after absolution, the abbot and brethren, we left the Church of the Holy Resurrection, and went to our monastery, and there we rested until the liturgy.
And three days after the Resurrection of the Lord, according to the liturgy, we went to the key keeper of the Holy Sepulcher, and I told him: “I would like to take my lamp.” He received me with love, led me into the tomb, and I saw my lamp standing on the holy tomb and still burning with that holy light. And I bowed to that holy tomb and kissed with love and tears that holy place where the most pure body of our Lord Jesus Christ lay. And then I myself measured the coffin in length, width and height, what it was. It’s impossible for anyone to measure it in front of people. And I honored the Holy Sepulcher according to my strength, and gave that housekeeper something a little, as well as my evil blessing. He, seeing my love for the Holy Sepulcher, then moved away the tablet located at the head of the Holy Sepulcher, and separated a small blessing from that holy stone, forbidding me with an oath to speak about it to anyone in Jerusalem. I bowed to the Holy Sepulcher and the keeper of the key, and, taking my lamp with the holy oil, I left the saint’s tomb with great joy, enriched by the grace of God, carrying in my hand the gift of the holy place and the sign of the Holy Sepulcher. And he walked, rejoicing, as if carrying some treasure of wealth. He went to his cell, rejoicing with great joy.
And God is witness to this, and the Holy Sepulcher of the Lord, that, being in all the holy places, I did not forget the names of Russian princes, and princesses, and their children, bishops, abbots and boyars, and my spiritual children; and I never forgot all Christians; but he commemorated him in all holy places. First of all, I bowed for the princes for everyone, and then I prayed for my sins. And for this I praise the good God, who granted me, the bad one, the names of the Russian princes to write in the monastery of Saint Sava. And now their names are remembered in litany, with their wives and their children. Here are their names: Mikhail-Svyatopolk, Vasily-Vladimir, David Svyatoslavich, Mikhail-Oleg, Pankraty Svyatoslavich, Gleb Minsky. I only remembered their names, so I wrote them down. In addition to all the Russian princes, I prayed for the boyars at the Holy Sepulcher and in all the holy places. And we sang liturgies for the Russian princes and for all Christians - fifty liturgies in total. And forty liturgies were sung for the departed.
May all who read this scripture with faith and love receive a blessing from God, and from the Holy Sepulcher, and from all these holy places; they will receive a reward from God on the same basis as those who walked to these saints’ places: blessed are those who see and believe, and thrice blessed are those who believe without seeing. Believing, Abraham came to the promised land. Truly, faith is equal to good works.
For God's sake, my brothers and gentlemen, do not reproach me for my feeble-mindedness and my rudeness! May this scripture not be desecrated for my sake, and for the Holy Sepulcher, and for the sake of the saints of these places. Whoever reads it with love, may he receive his reward from our saving God Jesus Christ. And the God of peace be with you all forever - Amen!
The text is reproduced from the edition: Likhachev D.S.(ed.). Literary monuments Ancient Rus': XII century. - M., 1980. S. 25 - 114.
Kirillin V. M.
Also in pagan Rus' Oral and poetic legends arose about travel to sacred places (temples). Such legends constituted a significant cultural layer, reflected, in particular, in the epics dating back to pre-Mongol times about Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich, Idolishche Pogan, Vasily Buslaev and many others; The rudiments of this pre-Christian culture can also be traced in a number of spiritual poems (“The Dove Book”).
After the baptism of Rus', old traditions were reoriented and combined with the new custom of worshiping biblical and Christian shrines. Accordingly, already the earliest original ancient Russian literary works contain echoes of this custom. So, according to The Tale of Bygone Years Reverend Anthony, the future Pechersk ascetic, visited Constantinople at the beginning of the 11th century and visited Athos twice. "The Life of Theodosius of Pechersk" also reports about pilgrims, in particular about the trip to Jerusalem by the abbot of the Kyiv Demetrius Monastery Varlaam. Interest in ancient shrines was aroused by various translated book and written sources - primarily the Bible, liturgical and hagiographic texts. A significant role in this regard was played by the apocrypha ("Agapius's Walk to Paradise", "Conversation of the Three Hierarchs", etc.) and historical and natural science works ("Chronicle of George Amartol", "Christian Topography" by Kozma Indikoplov, etc.). In them, certain topographical realities of the biblical Christian world were perceived as signs or symbols of Christian doctrine.
Obviously, by the end of the 11th century, visiting holy places had become a common occurrence in the life of Russian society. Of course, people went on a trip not only out of a desire to see with their own eyes everything that was connected with the life of biblical characters and the history of Christianity, but also out of trust in the purely saving power of prayer performed in the village of Grace. Participants in trips to the Holy Land in Rus' were called differently: either “pilgrims” (based on the custom of bringing home a palm branch), or “kalikas” (from the Latin “caliga” - shoe), or “supporters”. In Western Europe, the term “pilgrim” (distorted from the Latin “peregrinus”, traveling) was used to designate them. We did not go to the Holy Land alone. They usually gathered in groups - according to spiritual verses, squads or gangs led by an ataman. Very quickly, the desire to venerate the great Christian shrines acquired such wide proportions in Rus' that already in the 12th century it caused concern for the Church.
I must say, still in the bosom of the ancient universal Church Some authoritative fathers (for example, Gregory of Nyssa, Augustine the Blessed, Jerome the Blessed), qualifying pilgrimage as an act of sacred rites for those especially dedicated, condemned the custom without special preparation - in paganism - “to seek God with your feet.” The Old Russian Church was no exception in this regard. Although, according to the Church Charter of Saint Prince Vladimir, pilgrims as “metropolitan people” were under church patronage, that is, they were, as it were, equated with the clergy, however, at the same time, the clergy themselves sought to limit the number of pilgrims - primarily from among the laity and even monks. The reason for such a restriction was the obvious fact that the tradition of going to holy places contributed to the development of idleness, theft and parasitism.
In addition, it was from the “walking Kalikis” that various legendary and apocryphal beliefs emanated and spread, and it was they who were the peddlers of various kinds of heresies. Indicative in this regard is the evidence of the ancient Russian canonical work of the 12th century “The Questioning of Kirik, and the Questions of Bishop Nifont and others.” Worried about the correctness of his decision, Kirik asks Nifont: “And whoever said: To go to the side, to Jerusalem, to the saints and others, - I do not order him to go, where I command him to be good. Now I have ordered something else (i.e. repeated his prohibition). Is there a sin in this, my lord? And Nifont agrees: “Velmi, speech, do good! Yes, we should go about dividing, walking separately, eating and drinking, otherwise it’s evil. Boroni, speech.” The definition of the Council of Constantinople in 1301 regarding the questions of the Sarai bishop Theognostus is also indicative. In particular, he asked whether Christians were allowed to travel to Jerusalem and whether he acted fairly when he forbade his children to do this, commanding them to do good and live God-fearingly at home. And the council approved the actions of Theognostus, pointing out that “many travelers often spread false rumors about foreign lands.” Thus, the Church, trying to limit travel to the Holy Land, cared primarily about the spiritual, religious, moral purity of believers.
From this, however, it does not follow that pilgrimage was an absolutely regulated process. Despite the restrictive attitude of the Church, it, of course, persisted, apparently reflecting the real spiritual needs and aspirations of the people. It is no coincidence that stories on a pilgrimage theme - the so-called "walkings" - were a favorite genre form in Rus'. Indeed, during the XII-XVII centuries, more than 70 different “circulations” fell into the circle of ancient Russian reading, and some of them were very widespread, judging by the number of lists. So, the genre of “walks” to the Holy Land, as can be seen, was formed under the influence of bookish, literary and extra-bookish factors.
If we talk about literary samples, then, of course, the ancient Russian authors of stories about their own travels were guided by the Eastern Christian literary tradition, although the literature of travel to holy places was more developed in the West. The closest Byzantine thematic analogues of the Old Russian "walkings" are the so-called proskinitarium (Greek - worship). For example, "Epiphanius's Tale of Jerusalem" (late 8th - 9th centuries) or "A Brief Narrative of the Holy Places of Jerusalem" (mid-13th century), etc. Formally and content-wise, proskintariums are a kind of atlases-guides to the Holy Land, or catalogs biblical-Christian attractions, in which the mention of the latter is accompanied by corresponding biblical-historical extracts and statistical instructions regarding size, quantity, distance. Such lists were compiled over centuries and, accordingly, were devoid of individual authorial and nationally colored beginnings. Western thematic analogues of ancient Russian “walkings” are the so-called itineraria (from Lat. iter, itineris - path, movement, journey): “On Holy Places” by Silvia of Aquitaine (IV century), “Regrination” by Etheria (c. 380) etc. They are of a narrative-descriptive nature and represent the author’s story about the history of a particular journey. Probably, Old Russian "walkings" in terms of form and content arose as a result of the literary symbiosis of the indicated genre varieties.
The earliest, most significant and popular monument ancient Russian literature“Walking” is “The Life and Walking of Danil, Hegumen of the Russian Land.” The work was compiled at the beginning of the 12th century; almost 150 copies have survived, the oldest of which date back to the 15th century. All that is known about the author is what he himself said about himself in his work. Apparently, Daniel came from Southern Rus', was tonsured at the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery and then served obedience in one of the Chernigov monasteries; Daniel stayed in Palestine for about 16 months, in the interval between 1106 and 1108, for it was at this time that the crusader king Baldwin I, whom he mentioned more than once, was at the head of the Jerusalem state. Daniel carried out his journey accompanied by compatriots, some of whom he even calls it.
Daniel wrote his “Walk,” apparently, immediately upon returning to his homeland. In any case, no later than 1113, since he mentions the living great Prince of Kyiv Svyatopolk II Izyaslavich, who died just in 1113. Daniel narrates in the first person, describing in detail the biblical Christian shrines he saw and simultaneously retelling the legends associated with these shrines, mainly of a legendary-apocryphal nature - oral or book origin. It is the presence in the “Walk” of material based on legend, as well as its inherent lyrical intonation, that determine its literary significance. “Walking” enjoyed enormous popularity in Rus' and, accordingly, predetermined characteristics subsequent ancient Russian works on the genre of pious travels. The wide distribution of “Walking” is also explained by the fact that it was written in a language close to the living spoken Russian language, that is, it was accessible to the widest reader circles.
Daniel's narrative is framed by an introduction and a conclusion. The main part is divided into chapters, each of which is devoted to a specific subject: “About Jerusalem, about the Lavra”, “About the path to Jerusalem”, “About the Church of the Resurrection of the Lord”, “About the tomb of Lot in Zoar”, etc. In the introduction, Daniel reports that he, the “unworthy abbot,” “worse in all respects, absolved of many sins,” undertook his journey, wanting to see “the holy city of Jerusalem and the promised land.” He asks readers not to be swayed by his “thinness” and “rudeness”; complains that he made his journey as a sinful man: “I walked the path unlike this holy one, in all laziness, and weakness, and in drunkenness, and doing all kinds of unsimilar things.” However, Daniel decided to describe everything that he saw “with his eyes”, fearing the example of that slave who hid the talent given to him by his master and did not make the “purchase”. And two more motives forced Daniel to undertake his literary work: personal - love for holy places and fear of forgetting what the Lord had revealed to him, and public - the desire to give people an accurate description of holy places, so that they, even without making their own journey, could, under his guidance mentally visit them and receive from God the same “bribe” as those who actually managed to visit there. At the same time, Daniel’s reasoning is remarkable that you can save your soul even without traveling to the Holy Land, but only by doing good deeds at home; and vice versa, those who have made such a journey and on this occasion have ascended “with their minds,” imagining that they have done something good, only destroy “the reward of their labor.”
THE LIFE AND WALK OF IGUMENE DANIIL FROM THE RUSSIAN LAND
Here I am, the unworthy abbot Daniel from the Russian land, the worst of all monks, burdened with many sins, incapable of any good deed, being compelled by my thoughts and my impatience, I wanted to see the holy city of Jerusalem and the Promised Land. And, by the grace of God, I reached the holy city of Jerusalem, and saw the holy places, walked around the entire land of Galilee and near the holy city of Jerusalem the holy places where Christ our God walked with his feet and where, in those holy places, he showed great miracles. And I saw everything with my own sinful eyes. The kindly God showed me so that I could see what I had been wanting in my thoughts for many days.
Brothers and fathers, my masters, forgive me, a sinner, and do not reproach me for the stupidity and rudeness of what I wrote about the holy city of Jerusalem, about that good land and about the path leading to holy places. After all, whoever makes this journey with the fear of God and humility will never sin against the mercy of God. I walked the path of those saints inappropriately, in all laziness, weakness, drunkenness and doing all sorts of inappropriate things. But, hoping, however, on the mercy of God and on your prayer - that Christ God will forgive me my countless sins, I described this path and those holy places, without being exalted, without being proud of this path, as if I had done something good along this path, - let it not be so: I didn’t do any good on that path, - but out of love for those holy places I described everything that I saw with my own eyes, so that what God gave me, unworthy, to see would not be forgotten. I was afraid of the condemnation of that lazy slave, who hid his master’s talent and did not receive a profit from it, and I wrote this for faithful people. Maybe someone, hearing about the places of these saints, will be drawn in soul and thought to these holy places and will accept an equal reward from God with those who manage to reach these holy places. For many good people, being at home, in their places, with their thoughts and alms to the poor, with their good deeds, reach these holy places, and they will receive a great reward from God our Savior Jesus Christ. Many, having reached the places of these saints and the holy city of Jerusalem and raised their minds as if they had done something good, lose the reward for their work, and of these I am the first. Many, having gone to the holy city of Jerusalem and not seeing much good, go again, trying to go quickly again. But this way it is impossible to go quickly and be able to really see all those holy places in the city and outside the city.
ABOUT JERUSALEM, ABOUT LAUREL
I, the unworthy abbot Daniel, having come to Jerusalem, stayed for sixteen months in one place, in the Lavra of St. Sava, and therefore was able to go around and examine all these holy places. And since it is impossible to find and see all the holy places without a good guide and without knowing the language, I gave everything that I had at hand from my poor earnings to those who knew well all the holy places in the city and outside the city - so that they could show me everything Fine; as it was. And God helped me to meet in the Lavra a husband who was holy and old in days, and very bookish; God put it in the heart of that holy man to love me, the poor one, and he showed me well all those holy places: both in Jerusalem and throughout that land, he took me, and to the Sea of Tiberias, and to Tabor, and to Nazareth, and to Hebron, and to the Jordan, and to all those places, he took me, and labored with me, moved by love. And I saw many other holy places, which I will tell you about later.
ABOUT THE WAY TO JERUSALEM
But this is the way to Jerusalem. From Constantinople you need to walk along the seashore three hundred miles to the Great Sea. One hundred miles to Petala Island; it is the first island on the narrow sea; there is a good bay, and there is the city of Heraclius the Great. And opposite that city, holy myrrh comes out of the depths of the sea: here many holy martyrs were drowned by their tormentors. From Petala Island to Kalipol there are one hundred versts, and from Kalipol to the city of Avida eighty versts. Opposite that city lies Saint Euthymius the New. And from there it is twenty miles to Crete, and there is an exit to the Great Sea: to the left - to Jerusalem, and to the right to the Holy Mountain, to Thessaloniki and to Rome. And from Crete to the island of Teneda is thirty miles. This is the first island on the Great Sea, and there lies St. Navgudimos the martyr. And opposite that island on the shore there was a large city called Troas, where Paul the Apostle came and taught that whole country and baptized. And from the island of Teneda to the island of Metania one hundred miles; there lies the holy Metropolitan of Meletinsky. And from Meletinia to the island of Ahia is a hundred miles; and there lies the holy martyr Isidore. And on that island will be born mastic resin, and good wine, and all kinds of fruits.
ABOUT THE CITY OF EPHESUS
And from the island of Ahijah to the city of Ephesus there are sixty miles. There is the tomb of John the Evangelist. And the holy ashes come out of that tomb on the day of his memory, and faithful people collect that holy ashes for the healing of every ailment. And John’s cloak lies here, in which he walked.
And there is a cave nearby where lie the bodies of seven youths who slept for three hundred and sixty years: under King Decius they fell asleep, and under King Theodosius they appeared. In the same cave three hundred holy fathers lie; here Saint Alexander lies, and the coffin of Magdalene Mary, and her head; and the holy Apostle Timothy, a disciple of the holy Apostle Paul, lies in an ancient tomb. And there in the old church there is an icon of the Holy Mother of God, with the help of which the saints argued with Nestorius the heretic. And there is the bathhouse of Dioscorides, where John the Theologian worked with Prochorus at Romana. And we saw that pier where the sea threw up John the Theologian; They stood there for three days; and that pier is called Mramornaya. The city of Ephesus is located on land, four miles from the sea, in the mountains; it abounds in every good thing. And we bowed there to that holy tomb and, protected by the grace of God and the prayers of St. John the Theologian, we walked, rejoicing. And from Ephesus to the island itself is forty miles. There are many kinds of fish on that island, and this island abounds in everything. And from Sam to the island of Karia is twenty miles.
ABOUT PATME ISLAND
And from Kariya to the island of Patma, sixty versts. Off to the side, far out to sea, is the island of Patm. On that island, John the Theologian wrote the Gospel when he was imprisoned with Prokhor. Further from there is the island of Leros, then the island of Kalymnos, then the island of Nysera, as well as the island of Kos, which is very large. That island is very rich in everything: both people and livestock. Next is the island of Tilos, on this island Herod’s flour boils with burning sulfur; and this sulfur, having boiled, is sold, but we use it to light fire. Next is Harkiya Island. And all those islands, full of people and livestock, stand in a row, close to one another, about ten miles or more apart.
Next is the island of Rod, large and very rich in everything. Oleg, the Russian prince, was on that island for two summers and two winters. And from Sam to the island of Roda, two hundred miles, and from Roda to Makria, sixty miles. And in that city, and throughout that land as far as the world, black incense will be born there.
This is how black incense gomphite is extracted: a kind of resin comes out of the tree, and it is removed with a sharp iron. That tree is called zygia, and in appearance it looks like an alder. And another small tree looks like an aspen, but the name of that tree is cancer; in that tree there is a large worm, the size of a ponor, behind the bark of that tree. And this worm eats away at that tree, and dust comes out of that tree, like wheat bran, and falls from that tree like cherry glue. And people collect it, mix it with the above-mentioned tree and, putting it in a cauldron, cook incense gomphite; and put them in bags and sell them to merchants.
And from Makria to the city of Patera is about forty versts. Saint Nicholas was born here; this is his fatherland and homeland - Patera. And from Patera to Mir, where the tomb of St. Nicholas is, forty miles. And from Mir to Chilidonium there are sixty miles. And from Chilidonium to Cyprus, the great island, it is two hundred miles.
ABOUT CYPRUS ISLAND
Cyprus is a very large island, and there are many people on it, and it abounds in all kinds of good things. There are twenty-four bishops on it, but there is only one metropolis. And there are countless saints on it: Saint Epiphanios, and the Apostle Barnabas, and Saint Zenon, and Saint Bishop Trifolios, and Saint Philagrios the Bishop, whom the Apostle Paul baptized.
ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN WHERE SAINT HELENA PLACED THE CROSS
And there is a very high mountain there, and on that mountain St. Helena erected a large cypress cross to drive away demons and heal all ailments and put the honorable nail of Christ into the cross. And there, in that place, at that cross, great signs and wonders continue to this day. That cross stands in the air, not being attached to the ground by anything, but carried in the air by the Holy Spirit. And then I, unworthy, bowed to that wonderful shrine, and with my sinful eyes I saw the grace of God in that place, and the whole island departed as it should.
ABOUT INCENSE
And there incense will be born, incense: it falls from heaven, and it is collected on trees. After all, in those mountains there are many low trees with equal grass, and that good incense will fall on them. It is collected in July and August; in other months it does not fall; but only in those two will he be born.
And from Cyprus to the city of Jaffa, four hundred miles, all by sea. From Constantinople to the island of Roda eight hundred versts, and from Roda to Jaffa eight hundred versts. In total, the journey by sea to Jaffa is one thousand six hundred miles. Jaffa is a city on the coast not far from Jerusalem, from there you have to go overland to Jerusalem. It's a ten-mile walk across the field to St. George: there was a large church built in the name of St. George, and there his coffin was in the altar, and here St. George was martyred. And there is a lot of water there; and there the wanderers rest, by that water, but with great fear, for this place is empty and the city of Ascalon is close, and the Saracens come out from there and beat up the wanderers on those paths, so that it is very fearful to enter the mountains from that place. From St. George to Jerusalem there are twenty miles, but all in stone mountains. The path here is both difficult and very scary.
ABOUT MOUNT ARMAFEM
And there is a high mountain there near Jerusalem, on the right side as you come from Jaffa; the name of that mountain is Armafem. On that mountain Armafem there is the tomb of the holy prophet Samuel, and the father of Elkan, and Mary the Egyptian, for there was a village and a house of the saints. And that place was surrounded by a fence, and this fenced place is also called Armafem.
ABOUT JERUSALEM
The holy city of Jerusalem is located in a gorge, close to it there are high stone mountains. Approaching the city itself, you first see the pillar of David, and then, after walking a little, you see the Mount of Olives, and the Holy of Holies, and the Church of the Resurrection, where the Holy Sepulcher is located, and then you see the whole city. And there is a flat mountain there near the road, at a distance of about a mile from Jerusalem, - on that mountain all the people dismount from their horses, and there make bows of the cross, and worship the Holy Resurrection in full view of the city. And then every Christian experiences great joy, seeing the holy city of Jerusalem, and tears flow here from the faithful people. After all, no one can help but shed a tear when they see this desired land and seeing the holy places where Christ our God endured the passions for the sake of us sinners. And they all walk on foot with great joy towards the city of Jerusalem.
And there stands here, on the left hand of the road, when you pass there, the church of St. Stephen the First Martyr: in that place Stephen the First Martyr was beaten by the Jews, and his tomb is there. And here there is a flat stone mountain - it sank during the crucifixion of Christ; that place is called Hell; it is located near the city wall, at a distance of about a throw.
And then all the people with great joy entered the holy city of Jerusalem through the gate located near the pillar of David. Those gates are from the side of Bethlehem; This is the gate of Benjamin. Entering the city, you see on the right hand the road through the city to the Holy of Holies, and on the left - to the Holy Resurrection, where the Holy Sepulcher is located.
ABOUT THE CHURCH OF THE RESURANCE OF THE LORD
The Church of the Resurrection of the Lord is like this: it is round in shape; it has twelve solid round pillars, and six folded ones; it is beautifully paved with marble slabs; it has six doors; and in the choir it has sixteen pillars. And above the choir on the ceiling there is a mosaic image of the holy prophets - standing as if they were alive. And above the altar there is a mosaic depicting Christ. In the great altar, the mosaic depicts the elevation of Adam, further up there is a mosaic depiction of the Ascension of the Lord; on both pillars on the sides of the altar the Annunciation is depicted in mosaic. The top of the church is not completely covered with stone, but is spread out by a frame of hewn wood, so that it is without a top, not covered with anything. Under that same uncovered top is the Holy Sepulcher.
The Holy Sepulcher is like this: it is like a small cave, carved in stone, with small doors through which a person can kneel and enter. It is small in height, and four cubits in length and width. And when you enter this cave through the small doors, on your right hand there is, as it were, a bench carved into the same cave stone: on that bench lay the body of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now that holy bench is covered with marble slabs. There are three round windows on the side, and through these windows this holy stone is visible, and all Christians kiss there. Five large lamps with oil hang in the Holy Sepulcher, and the holy lamps burn continuously day and night. The holy bench where the body of Christ lay was four cubits long, two cubits wide, and half a cubit high. In front of the cave doors lies a stone - at a distance of three feet from those cave doors: sitting on that stone, an angel appeared to the women and preached to them about the resurrection of Christ.
That holy cave is decorated on the outside with red marble, like an pulpit, and there are twelve red marble columns around it. Above the cave there is a beautiful tower built on pillars, round on top and covered with gilded scales; and at the top of that tower stands Christ, sculptured from silver, taller than human height; the fryags did it; and now he stands under the very top of that uncovered. There are three doors at that tower, arranged cunningly - like a lattice of crosses; through those doors people enter the Holy Sepulcher. And that that cave was the Holy Sepulcher, as I said, I found out well from those who have lived here for a long time and truly know all those holy places.
The Church of the Resurrection is round in shape, and is equally thirty fathoms in length and width. It has spacious rooms, and the patriarch lives up there. The distance from the door of the Sepulcher to the wall of the great altar is twelve fathoms. Here, behind the wall, outside the altar, is the Navel of the Earth; a vault was made above it, and Christ was depicted in mosaic on top, and the inscription reads: “Behold, with my span I measured heaven and earth.”
ABOUT THE PLACE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE EARTH WHERE CHRIST WAS CRUCIFIED
And from the Navel of the Earth to the Crucifixion of the Lord and to the Edge is twelve fathoms. The Crucifixion of the Lord is located on the eastern side on a stone; it was high, higher than a spear. The stone was round, like a small hill. And in the middle of that stone, at the very top, there was a hole cut two cubits deep, less than a span in width, round, and here the cross of the Lord was erected. In the ground under this stone lies the head of the primordial Adam. And during the crucifixion of the Lord, when our Lord Jesus Christ betrayed his spirit on the cross, then the church veil was torn, and the stone then disintegrated; and that stone broke over Adam's head; and through that cleft, blood and water from the Lord’s ribs descended onto Adam’s head and washed away all the sins of the human race. And this cleft exists on that stone to this day. On the right side of the Crucifixion of the Lord you can see that honest sign.
ABOUT THE FRONTAL PLACE
The Crucifixion of the Lord and that holy stone are surrounded by a wall all around. Above the Crucifixion there is an intricate vault, wonderfully decorated with mosaics. And on the eastern side, on the wall, a mosaic depicts Christ crucified on the cross, skillfully and amazingly, just as if alive, both in size and height - as he was then. And on the south side there is written the removal from the cross, just as wonderful. There are two doors. You have to enter up the steps: there are seven steps to the door, and seven steps to enter the door. The floor is paved with red marble slabs.
Below, under the Crucifixion, where the head of Adam lies, there is also a small church built, beautifully decorated with mosaics and paved with red marble. This is called Kranievo place, which means Execution place. And above, where the Crucifixion is, it is called Golgotha. And from the Crucifixion of the Lord to the Deposition of the Lord the distance is five fathoms. And there is there, close to the Crucifixion of the Lord, a place on the northern side where his vestments were divided. There is another place where they placed a crown of thorns on the head of the Lord and clothed him in the scarlet robe of reproach.
ABOUT THE ALTAR OF ABRAHAM
And there nearby is the altar of Abraham, where Abraham sacrificed to God and slain a ram instead of Isaac. After all, Isaac was elevated to the very place where Christ was elevated to be slain for the sake of us, sinners. And from there there is a close place - about two fathoms further - where Christ our God was killed. And then, ten fathoms later, there is the Holy Prison, where Christ was imprisoned and where he sat for a while until the Jews managed to put up a cross to crucify him. Yet these holy places are under one covering, all standing in a row towards the south. And from the Prison of Christ to the place where Saint Helen found the honest cross, nails, crown, spear, sponge and cane, twenty-five fathoms. The Holy Sepulcher, the Crucifixion and all these holy places are located on level ground; the hill rises above the Sepulcher and above the Crucifixion on the western side.
And there is a place on the slope to which the Holy Mother of God came running. She hurried after Christ and said in the pain of her heart through tears: “Where are you going, my child? Why are you moving so fast? Or is there another marriage in Cana of Galilee, and are you in a hurry to get there, my son and God? Do not silently leave me, who gave birth to you, say a word to me, your servant.” And having come to that place, the holy Mother of God saw from that mountain her son crucified on the cross, and, seeing, she was horrified, and bent over, and sat down, overcome with sadness and sobbing. And here Simeon’s prophecy came true, as he had previously said to the Holy Mother of God: “This one lies for the rise and fall of many in Israel. And a weapon will pierce your very soul when you see your son being killed.” Many stood there, in that place, friends and those who knew him, looking from afar: Mary Magdalene, and Mary of James, and Salome, where stood all those who had come from Galilee with John and the mother of Jesus. All the acquaintances and friends of Jesus stood, watching from afar as the prophet said: “But my friends and relatives have become far from me.” And that place is located at a distance from the Crucifixion of Christ; about one and a half hundred fathoms to the west is the place from the Crucifixion of Christ. The place is called Spudii, which translates as “The Haste of the Virgin Mary.” And now in that place stands a monastery and the Church of the Holy Mother of God with a raised cage on top.
ABOUT THE PILLAR OF DAVID
And from there it is two hundred fathoms to the pillar of David and to the house. This pillar of the holy prophet David; his house was right there. In that pillar, the prophet David compiled and wrote the Psalter. This pillar is wonderful, made of large stones, very tall, made with four corners, and all strong and durable, and the stone is selected. There is a lot of water inside. It has five iron doors, and two hundred steps along which they go up. And there are countless grains in it. It is very difficult to take and dominates over that entire city, and they guard it very much, and do not allow anyone to enter it just like that. But God gave me, bad and unworthy, the opportunity to enter that holy pillar; I was able to bring only Izyaslav with me.
ABOUT THE HOUSE OF URIAH
And close to that pillar was the house of Uriah - that Uriah whom David killed and took his wife, seeing her washing in the bathhouse. There is now the site of the monastery of St. Sava; It’s close to the pillar, you can throw it to it. And where that bathhouse was is known to this day: from the place where Saint Helena found the honest cross - near the Crucifixion of the Lord - twelve fathoms to the east. Here, in that place, a very large cell church was built, and now there is a small church. There are large doors facing east: Saint Mary of Egypt came to those doors and wanted to enter the church, and wanted to kiss the cross, but the power of the Holy Spirit did not let her in. And then she prayed to the Holy Mother of God, for here, in the vestibule at these doors, stood an icon of the Holy Mother of God, and after that she was able to enter and kiss the venerable cross. She then went out through the same doors into the Jordan desert.
And close to those doors is the place where Saint Helen checked the Holy Cross of the Lord: immediately the dead virgin stood up. And if from there you go a little to the east - Praetorium, where the soldiers brought Christ to Pilate. And here, having washed his hands, Pilate said: “I am clean from the blood of this righteous man.” And having beaten Jesus, he handed him over to the Jews. Here is a Jewish prison; An angel led the holy Apostle Peter out of this prison in the middle of the night. And right there was the court of Judas, the traitor of Christ. Even now that cursed yard stands empty: no one dares to settle in that place because of the curse. And if you go a little east from there, there will be a place where Christ healed the bleeding woman. And there is a ditch nearby where Jeremiah the prophet was thrown; his house was there too. Paul the Apostle had his court there before, when he was in Judaism. And if you go a little east from there and get off that road a little, then there is a house that belonged to Saint Joachim and Anna.
There is a cave a little below the altar, in a stone: in that cave the Holy Mother of God was born; in the same cave there is the tomb of Saints Akim and Anna.
ABOUT THE SHEEP BATH
And from there the porch of Solomon is close, where is the Sheep Pool, where Christ healed the paralytic. The place is to the west of Akim and Anna, closer than a person can throw. From there to the east the city gates are close; they go out through those gates, going to Gethsemane.
ABOUT THE CHURCH HOLY OF HOLIES
And from the Resurrection of Christ to the Holy of Holies the distance is further than you can shoot twice. The Church of the Holy of Holies is wonderfully and skillfully built, decorated from the inside with mosaics, and its beauty is indescribable in words. It was built round in shape, the outside was painted with images skillfully and indescribably, its walls were lined with marble slabs of other marble; and it is paved beautifully with marble slabs. There are twelve solid round pillars in it under the roof, standing around, and eight folded square pillars. It has four doors; those doors are bound with gilded copper. And the dome was covered on the inside with mosaics skillfully and indescribably in words, and on the outside, on top, it was upholstered with gilded copper. Under that very dome there is a cave carved in stone, and in that cave Zechariah the prophet was killed, he was buried right there, and his blood was here, but now it is not here. And there is there, outside that cave under the dome, the same stone on which Jacob had a dream: a ladder reaching to heaven, and the angels of God ascending and descending on it. Here Jacob wrestled with the angel; Jacob arose from his sleep and said: “This place is the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” In the same place, the prophet David saw an angel standing with a naked weapon and slaying the people of Israel, and he entered that cave weeping, praying to God, and said: “Lord, it was not the sheep who sinned, but I sinned.” The church is thirty fathoms equally along and across; it has four entrances. The old church, the Holy of Holies, was destroyed, and nothing remains of Solomon’s first building that can be seen, and only the embankment for the church is visible, which the prophet David began to do. And that cave is now in the church, and that stone; it is now under roof and is all that remains of the old building. And this present church was built by a Saracen elder named Amor.
ABOUT SOLOMON'S HOUSE
Solomon's house was also there. This building was strong, very large and very beautiful. It was all paved with marble slabs, supported on vaults, and the entire house was supplied with water. Beautiful rooms were made and skillfully decorated with mosaics, and marble pillars of costly marble were beautifully placed in a row, and on those pillars vaults were skillfully erected, and the whole house was covered with tin. There is the gate of that house, very beautifully and skillfully lined with tin, covered with mosaics and bound with gilded copper. And that gate is called the Red Gate, where Peter and John healed a lame man. And this place is known to this day at those gates.
And there are three other gates besides those, and the fifth gate is the Apostolic Gate. The prophet David built those gates. The gates were made firmly and surprisingly skillfully: they were bound on the inside with gilded copper and skillfully painted on copper, and on the outside they were tightly bound with iron. There are four doors at that gate. Only those gates remain from the ancient buildings - they and the pillar of David, and the other buildings are all new. After all, the ancient city of Jerusalem was destroyed several times. Through those gates Christ entered Jerusalem with Lazarus from the direction of Bethany, when Christ resurrected Lazarus. Bethany is on the east side of the city, opposite the Mount of Olives. The distance from those gates to the Church of the Holy of Holies is one hundred and fifty fathoms.
ABOUT THE VILLAGE OF BETHANY
Bethany is located from the city of Jerusalem at a distance of two miles behind a mountain on level ground. Bethany is a small town south of Jerusalem. When you enter the gates of that town, there is a cave on your right hand, and in that cave is the tomb of St. Lazarus. In that same cell, Lazarus was ill and died immediately. In the middle of that town there is a large church, stretched upward and all well painted. From that church to the tomb of Lazarus is twelve fathoms; Lazarev's tomb from the church is towards the west, and the church from the tomb is towards the east. And there is very good water deep in the ground on the west before the city; they go down the steps to her. And in the direction from there to Jerusalem - more than a mile away from Bethany - there is a pillar; at that place Martha met Jesus, and here Christ again sat on a donkey after the resurrection of Lazarus.
ABOUT THE VILLAGE OF GETHSIMANIA
Gethsemane, the village where the tomb of the Holy Mother of God is located, is close to Jerusalem, on the Kidron stream, in the Valley of Weeping, and is located from Jerusalem in the middle direction between the south- and north-east.
ABOUT THE CITY GATE
From the city gates it is eight fathoms to the place where Ohonia the Jew wanted to drag the body of the Holy Mother of God from the bed when the apostles were carrying her to Gethsemane for burial. And the angel cut off both his hands with a sword, and laid them on him. There was a women's monastery in that place, but now it has been destroyed by filthy people.
ABOUT THE BURIAL PLACE OF THE HOLY VIRGIN
And from there it is a hundred fathoms to the tomb of the Holy Mother of God. The tomb of the Holy Mother of God is located on level ground: a small cave with small doors was carved into the stone so that a person could bend down and enter; and in the depths of that cave, opposite the doors, as if a bench was carved into the same cave stone, on that bench the body of our Most Pure Lady Theotokos was laid, and from there it was taken to heaven, remaining incorruptible. The height of the cave is taller than a man's height, and the width is four cubits, and so on; On the outside, it is like a tower, beautifully decorated with marble slabs. And on top of the tomb of the Holy Mother of God a very large cell church was built in the name of the Holy Mother of God of the Assumption; Now that place has been devastated by the filthy. The tomb of the Holy Mother of God is located below the great altar of this church.
ABOUT THE CAVE WHERE CHRIST WAS BETRAYED
And from the tomb of the Holy Mother of God is ten fathoms to the cave where Christ was betrayed by Judas to the Jews for thirty pieces of silver. That cave is located on the other side of the Kidron stream at the Mount of Olives.
And there is a place here near that cave - a person can throw a small stone in the southern direction - that place - where Christ prayed to his father that night when he was handed over to the Jews for crucifixion, and said: “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me " Now a small church has been built on that site. And from there he shot the distance to the tomb of Asaphat - this was the king of the Jews, and that is why that gorge of Asaphat is called. And right there nearby, in the same gorge, is the tomb of Saint James, the brother of the Lord.
The Mount of Olives is located from Jerusalem in the direction of the southeast. From Gethsemane the climb to the Mount of Olives is very high: it is hardly possible to reach its top in three times; but only the Lord's Prayer can be shot from Gethsemane.
ABOUT THE CAVE WHERE CHRIST BEGAN TO TEACH HIS DISCIPLES
And a large church was erected there, and there is a cave from the inside under the altar: in that cave Christ taught his disciples to sing “Our Father.” And from there to the very top of the Mount of Olives, where the Ascension of the Lord is, ninety fathoms.
ABOUT THE MOUNT OF OLEON
The Ascension of the Lord is located at the top of the Mount of Olives, directly to the east, and looks like a small hill. On that hill there was a round stone above the knees: from that stone Christ our God ascended into heaven. And the whole place was surrounded by vaults, and on top of those vaults a kind of round stone courtyard was built, and the whole courtyard was paved with marble slabs. And in the middle of that yard there was a kind of round mansion made, without a top; there is the same hole in the bottom of the tower. And in that mansion, under the very top, uncovered, lies the holy stone, on which the most pure feet of our Master and Lord stood. And a table of marble slabs was made over the stone, and liturgies are now served on that table. That stone is located below, under the holy table, all around it is covered with marble slabs, only the top of it is visible a little, and all Christians kiss it. That tower has two doors. You must approach the Ascension of the Lord by steps, and there are only twenty-two of those steps. The Mount of Olives rises high above the city of Jerusalem, and from it everything in the city of Jerusalem can be seen; and the Holy of Holies, and the Sea of Sodom, and the Jordan can be seen from it; and all that land, even on the other side of the Jordan - everything is visible from it: for the Mount of Olives is higher than all the mountains that are near Jerusalem.
ABOUT THE CITY OF JERUSALEM
Jerusalem is a great city with strong walls; its walls are equal to each other; It was built on four corners in the shape of a cross. There are many gorges around it and stone mountains. That place is waterless: there is no river, no well, no spring near Jerusalem, but only one pool of Siloam. But all the people and livestock in that city live on rainwater. And good bread will be born near Jerusalem in those stones without rain, but so, by God's command and favor. A fair amount of wheat and barley will be produced: after all, having sowed one barrel, they take ninety barrels, and another time a hundred barrels for one barrel. Isn’t this God’s blessing to that holy land! There are many vineyards near Jerusalem and multiple fruit trees, figs, mulberries, olives, horns; and all kinds of other trees without number grow throughout that land. And on the same Mount of Olives there is a deep cave close to the Ascension of the Lord on the southern side, and in that cave is the tomb of Saint Pelagia the Harlot. And there is a pillar nearby, a very spiritual man.
ABOUT THE ROAD TO JORDAN
The path from Jerusalem to the Jordan lies through the Mount of Olives to the southeast, and this path is very difficult, terrible and waterless. For the mountains here are high and stone, and there are many robbers, and they commit robbery in those terrible mountains and gorges. The distance from Jerusalem to Jordan is twenty-six miles. Fifteen miles to Kuziva, where Saint Joachim fasted because of his barrenness - there is this place in a deep gorge close to the road, on the left hand when you go there. And from Kuziva to Jericho there are five miles, and from Jericho to the Jordan there are six miles, still on sand; the path is very difficult. Here many people suffocate from the heat and die - they die from thirst without water. There, after all, the Sea of Sodom is close to that road: a sultry and stinking spirit emanates - it burns and scorches the whole land. And here, not reaching the Jordan, close to the road, is the monastery of St. John the Baptist, built in the mountain.
ABOUT MOUNT HERMONA
And there is Mount Hermon there, near that monastery, at a distance of about twenty fathoms. It's on your left hand when you walk there, close to the road. And this sandy hill is not great, but small.
And from Hermon to the old monastery of Ioannov there are two good shootouts. A large church was built there in the name of the Baptist John.
ABOUT THE PLACE WHERE THE SEA, SEEING CHRIST, RUNNED AND THE JORDAN CAME BACK
And close behind the altar of that church, on the eastern side on a hillock, there was built a kind of altar and a small vault: in that place John the Baptist baptized our Lord Jesus Christ. After all, Jordan reached this place, emerging from his bed, when he turned around at the sight of his Creator, who had come to be baptized: fearing, he turned back and reached this place. And here, close to that font, was the Sea of Sodom, but now it is far from Baptism - it ran four miles away. For then the sea saw the naked Deity standing in the waters of the Jordan, and was afraid and fled; The Jordan turned back, as the prophet says: “Why did you, O sea, run, and you, Jordan, turn back?”
ABOUT THE PLACE WHERE CHRIST WAS BAPTIZED
From the place where Christ was baptized, the distance to the bank of the Jordan River is as far as a husband can throw it with a small stone.
ABOUT THE POOL
And there is a font here on the Jordan, and Christians who come there bathe. There is also a ford across the Jordan into Arabia. At that place the Jordan parted in ancient times before the children of Israel, and the people passed through on dry ground. Immediately Elisha struck the water with the mercy of Elijah, and they crossed the Jordan on dry ground. At the same font, Mary of Egypt walked on the water to Father Zosima and, having accepted the body of Christ, went back through the water into the desert.
ABOUT JORDAN
The Jordan River flows quickly, but its banks are steep on that side and flat on that side. The water is very cloudy and tasty to drink; you will not be satisfied when you drink that holy water; from it - neither illness nor stomach upset in a person. In everything, the Jordan is similar to the River Again - both in width and depth, and in that it winds and flows very quickly, just like the River Again. The depth is four fathoms in the middle of the font itself, as I measured and checked myself, for I wandered to the other side of the Jordan and walked a lot along its bank. The width of the Jordan is like Again at the mouth. On this side of the Jordan, near that font, there is something like a forest; the trees are short, like willows, and above that font along the banks of the Jordan there are a lot of a kind of vine, but it is not like our vine, it is somewhat similar to dogwood; there are a lot of reeds, there are backwaters, like the Snovya River. There are a lot of animals here; and there are countless wild pigs, and there are many leopards, and lions.
On the other side of the Jordan there are high stone mountains; they are far from the Jordan. And under those mountains there are other mountains close by, white ones, and those mountains are close to the Jordan. That is the land of Zebulun and Naphtali on the other side of the Jordan.
ABOUT THE CAVE OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
And nearby there is a place to the east, about two shootouts from the river, where Elijah the prophet was caught up in a chariot of fire. There is also the cave of St. John the Baptist. And a deep stream flows beautifully over the rocks into the Jordan. The water is very cold and very tasty. John the Forerunner of Christ drank this water when he lived in that holy cave.
ABOUT THE CAVE OF ELIJAH THE PROPHET
And right there there is another amazing cave, where Saint Elijah the Prophet lived with Elisha, his disciple. And then, by the grace of God, we saw everything with our own sinful and unworthy eyes. And God vouchsafed me to be on the Holy Jordan three times. Even on the very feast of the Blessing of Water, we were on the Jordan: we saw the grace of God coming to the waters of the Jordan, and countless people came to the water then. There is a fair amount of singing all night, and endless candles are burning, and at midnight there is a baptism of water. Then the Holy Spirit comes to the waters of the Jordan; and worthy and good people see, but all nations see nothing, but only joy and gladness then appear in the heart of every Christian. And when they say: “I am baptized in the Jordan, O Lord,” then all the people go into the water and are baptized at midnight in the Jordan River, just as Christ was baptized here at midnight. And there is a very high mountain here, on the other side of the Jordan, it can be seen from everywhere from afar: on that mountain Moses the prophet reposed, having seen the Promised Land. And from the monastery of St. John to the Gerasimov monastery is one mile, and from the Gerasimov monastery to Kalamonia, to the monastery of the Holy Mother of God, one mile.
In that place, the Holy Mother of God with Jesus Christ, with Joseph, and with Jacob, when they fled to Egypt, they made an overnight stay in that place. Then the Holy Mother of God gave the name to the place - Kalamonia, which translates as “Good Abode”. There the Holy Spirit now descends to the icon of the Holy Mother of God. And that monastery stands at the mouth where the Jordan flows into the Sea of Sodom; and the whole monastery is surrounded by a fence; There are twenty monks in it. And from there it’s two miles to the monastery of St. John Chrysostom, and that monastery is also completely surrounded by a fence; and he is very rich.
ABOUT THE CITY OF JERICHO
And from there it’s one mile to Jericho. That Jericho was formerly a large and very strong city, Joshua took that Jericho and destroyed it to the ground, now there is a Saracen village there. And there is the house of Zacchaeus there; and the stump of that tree stands to this day, on which he climbed to see Christ. There was also the house of a famous Shunammite woman, in which Elisha raised the boy. The land around Jericho is good and fruitful, and the field is beautiful and level, and around it there are many tall dates and all kinds of fruitful trees; and the waters flowed in abundance, distributed throughout all that land. These are the waters of Elisha, which Elisha the prophet desalinated.
And there is a place here near Jericho, one mile to the southeast: at that place Saint Michael the Archangel appeared to Joshua before the army of Israel; and Jesus raised his eyes, and saw before him a terrible armed man, and Jesus said: “Are you one of ours, or one of our enemies?” And the archangel said to him: “I am Michael, the commander of God, sent to help you. Be brave and defeat your enemies." And he said to him: “Take off your boot from your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Jesus fell on his face and worshiped. And now a monastery stands in that place, and the church was built in the name of St. Michael. In that church there are twelve stones; and those stones were taken from the bottom of the Jordan, when the Jordan parted before the people of Israel; And those priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord took stones, according to the number of the tribes of Israel, for a memorial of their family. The place is called Galganii, because the children of Israel stood in that place after crossing the Jordan.
ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN OF GIBEON
And from that place to the west there is a high and very large mountain; the name of that mountain is Gibeon; over that same Mount of Gibeon, the sun stood still and waited for about half a day until Joshua defeated his enemies, when Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of the Canaanites fought with him. And Jesus conquered to the end, and then the sun went down.
ABOUT THE CAVE WHERE CHRIST FASTED FOR FORTY DAYS
In the same mountain of Gibeon there is a very high cave in which Christ our God fasted for forty days, and then became hungry. And the devil came there, wanting to tempt him, and said to him: “If you are the Son of God, say, let these stones be bread.”
There was nearby the house of Elisha the prophet and his cave, and there is a well to the east of Gibeon at a distance of about half a mile.
And from Jerusalem to the Theodosius Monastery there are six miles. That monastery on the mountain is surrounded by a fence and is visible from Jerusalem. And there is a large cave in the middle of the monastery, in which the wise men spent the night when they were avoiding Herod. And there now lies Saint Theodosius, and many holy fathers lie there; Saint Sava’s mother lies in that cave, and Theodosia’s mother lies here.
ABOUT THE LAUREL OF ST. SAVA
And from that monastery to the Lavra of St. Sava is six miles. Both of those monasteries are south of Jerusalem. The Lavra of Saint Sava is located in the Valley of Jehoshaphat, in the Valley of Weeping, which begins from Jerusalem: coming from Gethsemane, this valley passes through the Lavra and reaches the Sea of Sodom. The Lavra of St. Sava was created by God miraculously and indescribably in words. The stream once flowed terrible and very deep and was dehydrated, its banks were high, and on those cliffs the cells were molded - stuck and established by God in some miraculous and terrible way. At that height there are cells on both banks of that terrible stream and they are molded on the rocks, as if the stars were fixed in the sky. There are three churches. Among those cells to the west there is a wonderful cave under a stone rock, and in that cave is the Church of the Holy Mother of God. God showed that cave to Saint Sava with a pillar of fire, when he first lived alone in the place of that stream. The first cell of Saint Sava, where he lived alone, is located at a distance from the current monastery, about half a mile away. From there he saw the pillar of fire shown to him by God above that holy place where the Lavra of Saint Sava now exists. This place is wonderful and absolutely indescribable in words. The tomb of Saint Sava is also located there between those three churches, from the big one at a distance of four fathoms. And there is a little mansion over the tomb of Saint Sava; done beautifully. Many holy fathers lie there, as if living in their bodies: Saint John the Bishop Hesychast lies here, Saint John of Damascus lies here, and Saint Theodore of Edessa lies here, and Michael is his nephew; Saint Aphroditian lies here, and many other saints lie here, with their bodies as if alive, and an indescribable fragrance emanates from them. And I saw the well of Saint Sava, which a wild donkey showed him at night in the stream opposite his cell; We drank very tasty and cold water from that well. In that place there is neither a river, nor a stream, nor a well anywhere, but only one well of St. Sava. After all, that place is waterless, in the stone mountains, and the whole desert is dry and waterless, and the fathers who are in that desert live only by rainwater.
And there is a place there near the Lavra, on the south side of the Lavra, called Ruva; it is located near the Sea of Sodom. And the mountains there are high and stone, and there are many caves in those mountains. And here, in these mountains, in that terrible waterless desert, the holy fathers lived. And there are the dwellings of leopards, and there are many wild donkeys.
The Sea of Sodom is dead and contains nothing living: no fish, no crayfish, no oysters. And if the Jordan current carries a fish into that sea, then it cannot be alive even for a short time, but soon dies: for from the bottom of that sea red resin comes out to the surface of the water, and that resin lies along that shore in abundance; and the stench comes from that sea, as from burning brimstone: here, after all, is the place of torment, under that sea.
ABOUT THE MONASTERY OF SAINT EUTHEMIUS
And from the Lavra of St. Sava to the east behind the mountain is the monastery of St. Euthymius, three miles away from the Lavra. And Saint Euthymius lies there, and many other holy fathers lie there, their bodies as if alive. And that monastery stands on level ground, and the stone mountains around it are at a distance. The monastery was surrounded by a fence, and the church was good, high. And nearby there was the monastery of St. Theoktistus, under the mountain, to the south of the monastery of Euthymius. And all that is now ruined by the filthy.
ABOUT MOUNT ZION
Mount Zion is tall and large when viewed from the south; and from the side of Jerusalem it is flat and level. On that Mount Zion was originally the ancient city of Jerusalem; that ancient city was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, under Jeremiah the prophet. And now Mount Zion is outside the city wall, south of Jerusalem Zion. Here, on Mount Zion, was the house of John the Theologian; A large cage church was created on this site. And the distance from the city wall to the Church of St. Zion is as wide as a man can throw a small stone.
And in that Church of Zion there is, behind the altar of that church, a room where Christ washed the feet of his disciples.
ABOUT THE HOUSE OF JOHN THE GOLDEN, WHERE CHRIST DIED
Going south from that room, you climb the steps into a kind of upper room. There is a room there, beautifully made, as if on pillars, and covered, decorated with mosaics and paved beautifully, and there is an altar, like in a church, on the eastern side: this is the former cell of John the Theologian, and in that cell Christ dined with his disciples; John immediately reclined on his chest and said: “Lord, who is it that betrays you?” In the same place, the descent of the Holy Spirit was on the apostles at Pentecost.
In the same church there is another room, below, on the ground; and there is a low room on the south side: into this room Christ came to his disciples when the doors were closed, and stood in the midst of them and said: “Peace be with you”; Immediately he assured Thomas of the eighth day. The holy stone brought by an angel from Mount Sinai is also kept here.
And on the other side of the same church, on the western side, there is another low room on the ground, the same in appearance: in that room the Holy Mother of God reposed. All this happened in the house of John the Theologian.
And right there was the house of Caiafin. There Peter denied Christ three times before the rooster crowed. And there is a place east of Zion.
WHERE PETER, HAVING DENIED CHRIST THREE TIMES, CRIED BITTERLY
And from there, to the east, there is again close to a place on the mountainside where there is a very deep cave: the descent into it is thirty-two steps. In this cave, Peter bitterly mourned his renunciation. A church was built above this cave in the name of St. Apostle Peter.
ABOUT THE FONT OF SILOAM
And from there to the south, below the mountain, is the Pool of Siloam, where Christ opened the eyes of the blind man.
ABOUT THE VILLAGE OF SKUDELNICHEM
And here, under the same Mount Zion, is the village of Skudelnichye, which was bought with the money received for Christ for the burial of wanderers. It is on the other side of the gorge, under Mount Zion, south of Zion. And many caves are carved in stone on the mountainside, and in those caves now coffins are built, carved in stone amazingly and wonderfully: here strangers are buried for free, like this; They don’t give anything for that holy place, for it was redeemed by the blood of Christ.
ABOUT BETHLEHEM
Bethlehem is holy in the south of Holy Jerusalem, six miles away. Along the field - two miles before Abraham dismounted, where Abraham left his servant with the donkey, and took his son Isaac for sacrifice, and gave him to carry wood and fire. And he said to him: “Father, here are the wood and the fire, but where is the sheep?” And Abraham said to him: “God will show us the sheep, child.” And Isaac walked, rejoicing, along that path towards Jerusalem. After all, Isaac was brought to the very place where Christ was crucified.
And from there it’s about a mile away to the place where the Holy Mother of God saw two kinds of people: some laughing, and others crying. And then a church was created, the monastery was the Holy Mother of God. Now everything has been destroyed by the filthy.
And from there it is two miles to the tomb of Rachel, Joseph’s mother.
ABOUT THE VERTEP WHERE THE HOLY VIRGIN GAVE BIRTH TO CHRIST
And from there it is one mile to the place where the Holy Mother of God got off the donkey, when what was in her womb, wanting to come out, forced her. And there is a large stone there, on which the Holy Mother of God rested then, having descended from the donkey; from that stone, getting up, she walked on foot to the saint’s den, and there, in that den, the Holy Mother of God gave birth to Christ. And here, close to that stone, is the Nativity of Christ, so a good shooter can finish the shot.
ABOUT THE CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST
And there, above the nativity scene of the holy Nativity of Christ, a large church was built in the shape of a cross with a rectangular, high-raised top. The entire Church of the Nativity of Christ is covered with tin, all decorated with mosaics, and it has eight solid marble pillars; paved with white marble slabs; it has three doors; it is fifty fathoms long to the great altar, and twenty fathoms wide. The den and the manger, where the Nativity of Christ took place, are located under the great altar - like a large cave, beautifully made, and it has seven steps along which they go down to the doors of the saint’s den. It has two doors; to the second doors there are also seven steps. And if you enter the den through the eastern doors, on your left hand there is a place on the earth below, on which Christ our God was born. A holy table was erected above that holy place, and here, at that table, the liturgy is served.
ABOUT THE MACHINE OF CHRIST
And there, to the east, there is a place opposite which on the right is the Manger of Christ. On the western side, under a stone rock, there are the holy Manger of Christ, in which Christ the God was laid, wrapped in rags. He endured everything for our salvation. Those places are close to each other - Christmas and Manger: the distance between them is approximately three fathoms; both these places are in one cave. The cave is decorated with mosaics and beautifully paved. Under the church, everything is hollowed out, and the relics of the saints lie here.
And if you go, leaving the church, to the right hand, then there is a deep cave, going under the church: in that cave lay the relics of the holy babies, and from there the holy babies were taken to Constantinople. And a high fence was built around that entire church. And the place where the Nativity of Christ took place is located, on a mountain, away from people, in the desert. Now this is the place where the Nativity of Christ is now, and that town is called Bethlehem, and ancient Bethlehem was outside this place, ahead, not reaching the Nativity of Christ. There the Stylite is now found and the stone of the Holy Mother of God is located; On that mountain was the first Bethlehem. And all that land near Bethlehem is called Ephrant, the land of Judah, and about it the prophet says: “And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are no less among the thousands of Judah, for out of you will come a leader who will shepherd my people of Israel.” And that land near Bethlehem is very beautiful among the mountains, and prolific fruit trees stand along the hillsides so beautifully: olives, and figs, and horns - many, without number; there are many vineyards around Bethlehem; and there are many fields in the valleys.
And near the Church of the Nativity of Christ, behind the city wall to the south, at gunshot distance, there is a large cave in the mountain: in that cave lived the Holy Mother of God with Christ and Joseph.
ABOUT THE HOUSE OF JESHA, THE FATHER OF DAVID
And there is a place on the east side of the city; from the city at a distance of about a shot; the name of the place is Bethel. There was the house of Jesse, the father of David; Samuel the prophet came to this house and there anointed David to be king in Israel instead of Saul.
ABOUT THE WELL OF DAVID
There is David's well, from which David of old thirsted to drink.
ABOUT THE PLACE WHERE THE ANGELS BROUGHT THE Nativity OF CHRIST TO THE SHEPHERDS
And to the east from there there is a place under a mountain in a field, a mile away from the Nativity of Christ: in that place the holy angels announced the Nativity of Christ to the shepherds. And there was a cave there; over that cave a good church was built in the name of St. Joseph, and there was a good monastery there. Now that place has been devastated by the filthy. And near that place the field was very beautiful, and the fields were prolific, and there were many olive trees. And that place is called Agia Pimina, which translates as “Holy Flock”. And there is the village of Saint Sava, in the direction of Bethlehem under the mountain.
ABOUT THE CAVE AND ABOUT THE OAK OF MAMBRI
And from Bethlehem to the south - Hebron, the Sugubaya cave and the Mamre oak. The distance from Jerusalem to Hebron is twenty-eight miles, the path goes past Bethlehem to Hebron; the walk to Bethlehem is six miles, from Bethlehem to the Itham River three miles. The prophet David speaks about that river of Itham in the Psalter: “You dried up the rivers of Itham. Yours is the day, and yours is the night,” And now that river is dry, that river flows underground, it comes out at the Sea of Sodom, for there it flows into the Sea of Sodom. And on the other side of that river is a very high stone mountain; the forest on that mountain is large and dense; and the road goes through that terrible mountain. It is bad to go, because there is a large fortress there and the Saracens are robbing on that mountain. If anyone in a small number wants to pass, they cannot pass. God gave me good travel companions, and a lot of them, and therefore we were able to pass through that terrible place without damage. There, after all, the city of Ascalon lies not far away, and that’s where the filthy people come out and beat many people mercilessly on that road. On the same mountain, in the same forest, Absalom, the son of David, was killed, for he fled there after the victory of his father, and a mule carried him there - into the thicket of that forest; and his head was caught in his hair, and he was taken off the mule, and he hung high on a tree, and was shot in the heart with three arrows; and so he died on that tree.
And from there it is ten miles to the oath well of Abraham, and from that well to the oak of Mamre six miles.
ABOUT THE SAME
That holy oak is next to the road; when you go there, on the right hand; and stands, beautiful, on a high mountain. And around its roots below God paved it with white marble like a church floor. Paved around all that good oak; in the middle of this platform a holy oak tree grew from this stone, amazing! At the top of that mountain, near this oak tree, it turned out to be like a courtyard - level and clean, without stones; This is where Abraham's tent stood, near that oak tree to the east. This oak is not very tall, it is very spreading and dense with branches, and there is a lot of fruit on it. Its branches bent low to the ground, so that the husband, standing on the ground, could reach its branches. Its circumference at its thickest point is two fathoms, and the height of its trunk to its branches is one and a half fathoms. It’s amazing and wonderful that a tree has stood on such a high mountain for so many years and has not been damaged or crumbled! Stands approved by God, as if now planted. Under that oak tree the Holy Trinity came to Patriarch Abraham and dined with him, under that holy oak tree. And then the Holy Trinity blessed Abraham and Sarah, his wife, and gave them the birth of Isaac in their old age. Here the Holy Trinity showed water to Abraham, and there is that well to this day under that mountain, close to the road. And all that land around that oak tree is called Mamre; That’s why that oak tree is called Mamre. And from that oak tree to Hebron is two miles.
ABOUT MOUNT HEBRON
Hebron is a large mountain, and the city on that mountain was large and very strong, but now its buildings are very dilapidated. Many people used to live on that mountain, but now everything is empty.
The first to settle on that mountain of Hebron was the grandson of Noah, the son of Ham, Canaan, coming after the flood from the construction of the Babylonian pillar; and he inhabited that whole land near Hebron, and that is what that land is called: Canaanite. And God promised that land to Abraham when he was still living in Mesopotamia and Harran, for there was the house of Abraham’s father. And God said to Abraham: “Get out of your land, from your father’s house, and go to the land of Canaan, and I will give that land to you and to your seed forever, and I will be with you.” And now, truly, that land is promised by God, and blessed by God with all good things: wheat, and wine, and oil, and every fruit is very abundant, and is rich in a lot of livestock, and sheep and cattle will be born twice in the summer, and there are many bees in the stones of those mountains beautiful, also there are many vineyards along those hills, and there are many fruit trees - without number: olives, fig trees, and horns, and apple trees, and cherries, and others. And every fruit is here, and that fruit is better and greater than all the fruits that are on earth under heaven; there are no such fruits anywhere else. And water is good in that place and useful in every way. And that place itself surpasses everything in beauty and every kind of goodness. Unspeakable is the land near Hebron! And there was the house of David - on this mountain of Hebron; and David dwelt there eight years, when his son Absalom drove him out.
And from Hebron to the Greater Cave of Abraham it is close, closer than half a mile. The deep cave is located in a stone mountain, and in that cave is the tomb of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. After all, Abraham bought this deep cave from Ephron the Hittite for the burial of his entire family, when he came from Mesopotamia to the land of Canaan. And at first he bought nothing except the Suguboy cave for burial for himself and his entire family. And now a small but very strong fortress has been built around that cave. The fortress was built wonderfully and with indescribable art from large stones, and its walls were very high. Located in the middle of that fortress, the cave is now well protected. And that entire fortress was paved with marble slabs, white marble. The cave where Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the sons of Israel lie is located below under the pavement, well fortified; and their wives lie here, Sarah, Rebekah. And Rachel lies separately by the road near Bethlehem. And now separate coffins have been made over the cave in that fortress; Small round churches were built over those coffins. And the tomb of Abraham and his wife Sarah are close together; and the tomb of Isaac and his wife Rebekah is close together; The tomb of Jacob and his wife Leah stand close to each other.
ABOUT JOSEPH'S TOMB
Joseph the Beautiful's coffin is outside that fortress, outside the Suguba Cave; The distance is like throwing a stone to that fortress. This place is now called “Saint Abraham”. There is a high mountain nearby, to the south of the Suguba Cave, the distance is one mile; the Holy Trinity with Abraham ascended to that mountain, for Abraham led the Holy Trinity to that mountain from the oak of Mamre. And there is a place on the top of that mountain, very beautiful and high, in which place Abraham, falling on his face, bowed to the Holy Trinity, prayed and said:
ABOUT ABRAHAM'S PRAYER
"God! May you not destroy the righteous while the wicked perish! But if, Lord, you find fifty righteous people in Sodom, will you not, Lord, have mercy on all that city, the fifty for the sake of the righteous?” And the Lord said to Abraham: “If I find fifty righteous people among the Sodomites, I will not destroy that whole city, fifty for the sake of the righteous.” And again Abraham bowed to God and said: “If there are thirty righteous people among the Sodomites, will you not have mercy on that whole city?” And the Lord God said to Abraham: “If there are thirty righteous people among the Sodomites, I will not destroy that whole city.” And Abraham bowed to the Lord and said: “Lord, abundantly merciful and patient with our iniquities! Do not be angry with me, your servant, and I will say again: if there are fifteen righteous people among the Sodomites, will you, O Lord, have mercy on that entire city, fifteen for the sake of the righteous?” And the Lord God said to Abraham: “If there are fifteen righteous people among the Sodomites, I will not destroy all that city of fifteen for the sake of the righteous, nor will I destroy all that city for the sake of five righteous people.” And Abraham fell silent and did not add anything to what was said. From this mountain the Holy Trinity sent two angels to Sodom so that they would bring out Lot, Abraham's nephew. There, in that place, then Abraham offered a sacrifice to God, sprinkling wheat on the fire, and therefore that place is called “Abraham’s Sacrifice.” And the place is very high, and the whole land of Canaan can be seen from there.
And from the Sacrifice of Abraham to the Greznova gorge is one mile, and from the Greznova gorge to the Atanatov threshing floor is one mile.
ABOUT LOT'S TOMBEN LOCATED IN ZIGOR
And from there it’s two miles to Zoar. And there is Lot's coffin and two of his daughters' coffins. In that mountain there was a large cave into which Lot ran with his daughters. And there is a settlement of the first people nearby; There was a high city on that mountain, and it was called Zoar.
And at a distance of a mile from there, on a hill, south of Zoar, Lot’s wife stands like a pillar of stone. And from Lot’s Wife to Sodom are two miles. And we saw all this with our own eyes, but with our feet we could not reach the place where Sodom was, because we were afraid of the filthy. Orthodox people did not allow us to go there; they told us this: “You will not see anything there, but only sulfur, and the stench comes from there. And you will get sick,” they told us, “from that evil stench.” So from there we returned again to Saint Abraham and, protected by the grace of God, we went in good health to the Suguba Cave, to the fortress. And there they bowed to all the holy places and rested there for two days. By the grace of God there we found many good fellow travelers going to Jerusalem, and we joined them, and walked joyfully with them without fear, and reached the holy city of Jerusalem in good health, and praised God, who made us worthy, unworthy, to see those holy places, unspeakable and unspeakable.
There is a monastery of St. Chariton to the south of Bethlehem on the same river Afama, near the Sea of Sodom in the stone mountains, and the desert around it. The place is menacing and waterless and dry. Below it there is a very scary stone gorge. It was completely surrounded by a fence; in the middle of the fenced area there are two churches; in the larger church there is the tomb of St. Chariton. And outside the fence there is a tomb, skillfully made, in that tomb lie the holy fathers, their bodies as if alive, and there are more than seven hundred of them lying there. Here lies Saint Cyriacus the Confessor, his whole body intact; Here lie the sons of Xenophon, John and Arkady, and a wonderful fragrance emanates from them. And we bowed there, in that holy place, and went to the mountain, south of that monastery, about a mile away.
And there is a flat place in the field where the prophet Habakkuk was raptured when he went to the field to the reapers with food and water. And the angel brought him to Babylon to Daniel the prophet in the ditch, and from there, having fed Daniel and given him something to drink, he was again delighted by the angel and at the same hour, on the same day, he was again in the same place with the reapers and gave them lunch . And now it stands in its place, like a mansion built in honor of the sign. From there the distance to Babylon is forty days.
And near that place there was a large church, built in a cage, in the name of the holy prophets. And down there, under that church, there is a large cave in which lie twelve prophets in three shrines: Habakkuk, Nahum, Micah, Ezekiah, Obadiah, Zechariah, Ezekiel, Ishmael, Saveel, Baruch, Amos and Hosea.
And close there on the mountain there is a very large village; and many Saracens live in it; and there are many Christians right there in that village. And this village is the homeland of the holy prophets: the holy prophets were born there, and this is their homeland - that village. And there we slept one night, in that village, protected by God’s grace. And the Christians in that village received us well. And from there, having slept well that night and getting up early the next morning, we went to Bethlehem. The Saracen elder himself with weapons escorted us all the way to Bethlehem; and he also took us through all those places. And without protection you cannot reach those places because of the filth, for many Saracens go there to rob, in those mountains. And we reached the holy city of Bethlehem in good health, and there we worshiped the Nativity of Christ, and, having spent the night there, we went joyfully to the holy city of Jerusalem.
WHERE DAVID KILLED GOLIATH
WHERE DAVID KILLED GOLIATH
And from there the distance is a shot to the cave in which lie the relics of many holy martyrs who were killed in Jerusalem during the reign of Heraclius; and the place is called “Agia Mamila”.
WHERE THE HONEST TREE GREW
And from that place to the Holy Cross is one mile. And there is behind the mountain, to the west of Jerusalem, a place where the footstool of Christ was carved, to which the most pure feet of our Lord Jesus Christ were nailed. The place is fenced with a wall, and a church of great height was built inside, in the name of the Holy Cross; all beautifully written. And under the great altar, deep under the table, there is the stump of that honest tree. And it was well fortified and lined above the stump with slabs of white marble. And the window was made against the tree, round in shape. This is the Iversky Monastery.
ABOUT THE HOUSE OF ZECHARIAH
And from that monastery to the house of Zechariah there are four miles, and the place of the house is under the mountain, west of Jerusalem. The Holy Mother of God came to that house of Zakharyin to Elizabeth under the mountain and kissed Elizabeth. And it happened that, as soon as Elizabeth felt Mary’s kiss, the baby leaped, rejoicing in her womb, and Elizabeth said: “Where did the mother of my Lord come to me from? Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” John the Baptist was born in the same house. And now a high church has been erected on that spot. When you go to that church, on the left hand, under the small altar, there is a small cave, in that cave John the Baptist was born. And the whole place is surrounded by a stone fence.
ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN WHERE ELIZABETH FLEEED WITH THE FORECURRENT
And from there - half a mile through the gorge to the mountain to which Elizabeth ran and said: “Mountain, accept the mother and child!” And immediately the mountain parted and received her. Herod’s servants, who were following her trail, when they arrived at that place, found nothing and returned tired. And the place on that stone is known to this day. And there is now a small church above that place; Below, under that church, there is a small cave; and another church was built in front of that cave. Very good water flows out of that cave; Saint Elizabeth drank this water while she was with John in that mountain, because here she lived until the death of Herod, for an angel kept her in that mountain. That mountain is very large, and there is a lot of forest on it, and there are many gorges around it. And it is located west of Jerusalem; That place is called “Orini”. David the prophet fled to the same mountain from Jerusalem from King Saul.
ABOUT FRAME
And from that mountain to the west, two miles to Rama, about which the prophet Jeremiah says: “A voice was heard in Rama, crying and sobbing in her ears: Rachel mourns her children and does not want to be consoled, for they are not.” Rama Ta is a large gorge, along which many villages are scattered. And all that land near that gorge is now called Ramah and belongs to the Bethlehem region. It was here, in Rama, that King Herod sent his soldiers to beat the holy babies.
ABOUT ELMAUS
And from Rama to the west four miles to Elmaus, where Christ on the third day after the resurrection appeared to Luke and Cleopas when they walked from Jerusalem to the village, and where they recognized Christ by the breaking of bread. That big village was located here. A church was built on that site. Now everything has been ruined by the filthy people, and the village of Elmaus is empty. And the place where it was was off to the side of the road passing there behind the mountain; on the right hand when you go from Jerusalem to Jaffa.
ABOUT LYDDA
And from Yelmaus to Lydda there are four miles. You have to walk across the field to Lydda. At this place there was a very large city called Lydda, and now it’s called Rambliy. In this Lydda, Peter healed Enyas as he lay on his bed.
ABOUT OPIA
And from Lydda to Opia there are ten miles, all across the field. In this city of Opia, Saint Peter the Apostle resurrected Tabitha. In the same city, while fasting on the roof at the ninth hour, Peter saw a shroud coming down from heaven, hanging by its four ends, and when it reached him, Peter looked and saw that the shroud was full of four-legged creatures and every reptile. And a voice from heaven said to him: “Peter, rise, kill and eat!” And Peter said: “Lord, never has anything foul or unclean entered my mouth.” And a voice from heaven said to him: “What God has cleansed, do not consider unclean.” And in that place now a church was created in the name of St. Peter. The city of Opium stands close to the sea, and the sea comes to its walls. And now that city of Jaffa is called in the Fryag language. And from Jaffa to Tarsuf six miles.
ABOUT CAESARIA PHILIPPI
And from Tarsuf to Caesarea Philippi it is twenty-four miles, all along the sea. In that Caesarea, Saint Peter the Apostle baptized Cornelius. There is a mountain nearby, two miles from that city to the south, where Father Marcian lived, to whom a harlot woman came to tempt him.
ABOUT CAPERNAUM
And from Caesarea Philippi to the city of Capernaum it is eight miles. Capernaum was a very large city, and there were many people in it, but now that city is empty. And it is located near the Great Sea. The prophet says about this Capernaum: “Oh, woe to you, Capernaum! You have ascended to heaven, and you will descend to hell.” For the Antichrist must come out of this city. It is because of this that the fryags have now devastated this entire city of Capernaum.
ABOUT MOUNT CARMIL
And from Capernaum to Mount Carmel it is six miles. In this mountain, the holy prophet Elijah lived in a cave; and there that Elijah the prophet was fed by a raven. On the same mountain, Elijah stabbed the priests of Baal with a knife and said: “I was jealous for the Lord my God.” That Carmel mountain is very high, and the Great Sea is near that mountain, about a mile away. From Mount Carmel to the city, to Cephas, it is one mile.
ABOUT ACRE-CITY
And from Cephas to Acre is fifteen miles. That city, Acre, is very large and strong in structure, and there is a good bay under that city. This is a Saracen city, but now it is owned by the Fryags. And from Akira to Tire the city is ten miles, and from Tire to Sidon ten miles. And there is a nearby village called Sarefta of Sidon: in that village Elijah the prophet raised the son of a widow.
ABOUT THE CITY OF VIRITE
And from Sidon to Virita-city is fifteen miles. In that city, the Jews pierced the image of Christ with a spear: blood and water came out, and then many believed and were baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And to the same city of Virit, Xenophon’s sons John and Arkady went to study philosophy. And from Virit to Zeval is twenty versts, and from Zeval to Tripoli is forty versts, and from Tripoli to the Sudiya River is sixty versts.
ABOUT THE GREAT ANTIOCH
Antioch the Great stands on that river. And from the sea, the city of Antioch is more than eight miles away. It’s a hundred miles to Adekia, then Little Antioch, then Kaninoros, then Mavronoros, then Satilia-town, then Khidonia - a small island. And all those cities stand near the sea; and we passed all those cities by sea without stopping, although we came close to those cities; Fearing the military, they did not stop in Khidonia. And from there we walked to Myra, then to Patara-city, and at that city corsairs in four galleys met us, captured us and robbed us all. And from there we came to Constantinople and reached Constantinople in good health.
ABOUT GALILEE AND THE SEA OF Tiberias
And there is a path from Jerusalem to Galilee, to the Sea of Tiberias, and to Mount Tabor, and to Nazareth. All this land near the Sea of Tiberias is called Galilee, and that land lies in the direction from Jerusalem to the southeast. And the city of Tiberias is located four days' journey from Jerusalem, if you go on foot. And this path is very terrible and very difficult: to walk in the stone mountains for three days, and for the fourth day to walk along the Jordan across the field, all the way to the east right up to the upper reaches of the Jordan, where the Jordan River originates.
And God gave me to go that way like this: Prince Baldwin of Jerusalem went to war to Damascus along the way to the Sea of Tiberias, for the road to Damascus passes there, past the Sea of Tiberias. I found out that the prince wanted to go that way to Tiberias, I went to that prince, bowed to him and said: “And I would like to go with you to the Sea of Tiberias, to walk around all those holy places near the Sea of Tiberias. For God's sake, take me, prince! Then this prince joyfully ordered me to go with him and assigned me to his servants. Then, with great joy, I hired something to ride for myself. And thus we passed through those terrible places with the royal soldiers without fear and without damage. And without warriors no one can pass that road; Only St. Helena walked that way, and no one else.
And this is the way to Tiberias: from Jerusalem to the well of the Holy Mother of God it is ten miles, and from that well to the Gelvunian mountains it is four miles. And on those mountains of Gilvun, Saul, the king of Judah, was killed, and his son Anathan was immediately killed. These mountains are large, stony, dry, waterless, for there is never dew on them. And from those mountains to David’s well are two miles, and from that well to David’s cave are four miles. In that cave God gave King Saul into the hands of David, and he did not kill him while he was sleeping, but cut off a piece of his blanket and took his sword and towel. And from those mountains to the Shechem Mountains and to Joseph’s Trench there are four miles. On those mountains the sons of Jacob tended the flocks of their father Jacob; Joseph the Beautiful came to those mountains to his brothers, having been sent to them by his father, bringing them peace and blessing from his father Jacob. They, seeing their brother Joseph, stood up and grabbed him, and threw him into a ditch, which ditch exists to this day - like a deep wall, built of large stones, and very strong. And there we had to go to bed for the night, in that place. For this place is located near the path of people, on the right hand when you walk there.
ABOUT JACOB'S WELL
And from there it is ten miles to Joseph’s dwelling, which is called Sychar. And there is Jacob's well, deep and large, and the water is very cold and tasty. At that well, Christ talked with the Samaritan woman. And we lay there overnight.
ABOUT SAMARIA
And from there the city of Samaria is not far away - about half a mile from that well. The city of Samaria is very large and abounds in all good things. That city of Samaria stands between two high mountains; There are many springs of cold water flowing beautifully in the middle of that city. And there were all kinds of fruit trees without number: figs, hazels, horns and olives, like oak groves, like forests all over that land near Samaria. Along the edges of those fields are fertile fields. And that land near Samaria is beautiful and very amazing. And that place is abundant in all good things: oil and wine, wheat and fruits. And simply put, from there Jerusalem receives all the good that it lives on. And now that city of Samaria is called Neapoli. And from there, two miles west of the city of Samaria, there is a place called Sevastopol; and a small fortification was built here, this is the prison of St. John the Baptist of Christ: in this prison John the Forerunner of Christ was beheaded by Herod the King. And there is the tomb of St. John the Baptist, and a good church was created in that place in the name of John the Baptist. And now there is a Fryazh monastery there, very rich.
ABOUT ARIMATHEA-CITY
And from there four miles to Arimathea. There is the tomb of St. Joseph and St. Maleleel. This place is located west of Samaria, in the mountains. A small fence was built over the place; The church is a good cell built over the tomb of St. Joseph. That place is called Arimathea. And from Samaria the path to the Sea of Tiberias is to the southeast.
ABOUT THE CITY OF VASANI
From Samaria to the city of Bashan is thirty miles. In that city of Bashan was Og, king of Bashan, whom Joshua killed at Jericho. The place looks scary and very menacing. Seven rivers flow out of that settlement of Vasan; and there were large reeds along those rivers, and many dates stood tall in that fort, like a dense forest. And this place is terrible and unsuitable for passage, for strong filthy Saracens live there and robber on those rivers and fords. And there are a lot of lions here. And this place is located near the Jordan River, and a large swamp adjoins that city of Bashan on the Jordan side. And those rivers flow from Bashan to Jordan, which is why there are many lions in that place.
And there is there, under that city to the east, an amazing cave: it turned out to be in the shape of a cross. A spring flows out of that cave, and there is a wonderful reservoir there, formed itself and as if created by God. In that pond Christ himself bathed with his disciples. And the place where Christ sat on a stone is known to this day. We, unworthy ones, swam there too. In that city of Bashan, the Jews tested Christ: they showed him a denarius and asked: “Should tribute be given or not?” He told them: “Whose image and inscription are here? Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s!” And Christ said, turning to Peter: “Go, cast a fishing rod into the sea, and open your mouth to the fish that you catch first, take out the statir and give it for me and for yourself!” Near the same city of Bashan, Christ healed two blind men who cried out while following him.
ABOUT THE JORDAN RIVER
And from Bashan to the upper reaches of the Jordan and to Mytnitsa Matthew, twenty miles; and all the way you walk across the field near the Jordan, drinking water from the Jordan, very tasty and clean, all the way to the east you go to the very top of the Jordan. The Jordan originates from the Sea of Tiberias, from two sources; It boils very wonderfully. The name of one source is Jor, and the other source is called Dan. From there the Jordan emerges with two rivers from the Sea of Tiberias. They are far from each other, about three shootings between them. And those rivers flow separately for a little while, about half a mile, and then both rivers merge into one river, and it is called Jordan - after the names of two sources. The Jordan flows quickly, with clear water, and very tortuously. It looks like the Again River to everyone: in width, depth, and backwaters it is similar to the Jordan Again River. And there are a lot of fish in its upper reaches. And at the very top of the Jordan there are two stone bridges across both streams, built firmly on arches, and under those bridges the Jordan flows, through the spans of those bridges.
ABOUT MYTNITSIA MATTHEW
Close to those bridges was the Mytnitsa of Matthew, the apostle of Christ, for here all the roads leading through the Jordan to Damascus and Mesopotamia converge. And there, in that place, Prince Baldwin and his soldiers stopped for lunch. Right there we stopped with him at the very top of the Jordan, we swam at the very top of the Jordan in the Sea of Tiberias. And then they walked around the Sea of Tiberias without fear and without fear through all those holy places. Where Christ our God walked with his feet, there God granted me, wicked and sinful, to walk and allowed me to see the whole country of Galilee. What I never hoped to see, God showed me so that I could see, walking around with my sinful feet all that holy and desired land. Not falsely, in truth, as I saw, so I wrote about the holy places. Many others who have reached these places and have not been able to find out well are deceived about these places, and others who have not reached these places lie a lot and make things up. To me, the bad one, God showed me a holy man, old in days, very bookish, and spiritual, who lived in Galilee for thirty years, and lived with Saint Sava in the Lavra for twenty years; and that husband showed me everything truly, having thoroughly learned it from the holy books. And why do I, a sinner, see so much good?
And there they stood at that bridge all that day, and in the evening Prince Baldwin went across the Jordan to Damascus with his soldiers. We went to the city of Tiberias and stayed there for ten days, in that city until Prince Baldwin returned from that war from Damascus. During that time we visited all those holy places near the Sea of Tiberias.
ABOUT THE SEA OF Tiberias
The Sea of Tiberias can be bypassed like a lake; and its water is so tasty that the one who drinks that water will never be satisfied. It is fifty miles long and twenty miles across. There are a lot of fish in it; and there is one very amazing and wonderful fish there, which Christ loved to eat; And that fish is more delicious to eat than any other fish, but in appearance it is like carp. And I ate that fish many times while I was there in the city. After the resurrection, Christ ate the same fish when he came to his disciples while fishing and said: “Children! Is there anything to eat?” They said: “No.” And he said to them: “Throw from the right side of the net.”
ABOUT THE UPPER JORDAN
The distance from the upper Jordan and from those bridges to the bath of Christ, and to the bath of the Holy Mother of God, and to the bath of the Apostles is six miles; and from the bath of saints to the city of Tiberias is one mile.
The city of Tiberias used to be very large: two miles long and a mile wide. And a little further away is the Sea of Tiberias. In that city, Christ our God performed many miracles: there is a place there, in the middle of the city, where Christ cleansed the leper; there was the house of the mother-in-law of Peter the Apostle, and there Christ entered that house and healed Peter’s mother-in-law from the fiery disease. And here, in that place, a church was created in the name of the Apostle Peter, round in shape. There was the house of Simon the leper, where at the evening the harlot wetted the feet of the most pure Lord Jesus Christ with her tears, wiped them with her hair, and accepted remission of countless sins. In the same city he healed a bent woman. There was a miracle with the centurion. They immediately hung the bed with the sick young man, dismantling the roof. He immediately pardoned the Canaanite woman. There is a cave there with very tasty and cold water, where Christ ran when they wanted to install him as king in Galilee. And Christ performed many other miracles in that city. In that city is the tomb of Elisha the prophet, son of Asaphat. Here, close to the road, is the tomb of Joshua. And there is a large stone there near the sea, to the east of the city, at a distance of a shot: Christ stood on that stone and taught here the nations that came to him from the seaside of Tyre and Sidon, from Decapols and from all of Galilee; and from here he sent the peoples and his disciples away, and they sailed to the other side of the sea in ships, and Jesus himself remained here, and then from here he crossed the sea, as if walking on dry land with his feet, and found himself on the other side of the sea in front of the people. They, having sailed, found Jesus walking there, and said: “Teacher, when did you sail here?” He told them: “With God everything is possible, but with people it is impossible.” Ten miles from Tiberias to that place by sea; and that place is located on the slope of a mountain at a distance of one mile from the sea.
WHERE CHRIST FEED FIVE THOUSAND HUSBANDS
The place is flat and grassy; in this place Christ fed five thousand people with five loaves of bread, not counting wives and children; and twelve baskets of slices remained.
WHERE CHRIST APPEARED TO HIS DISCIPLES FOR THE THIRD TIME, RISING FROM THE DEAD
And there, near the Sea of Tiberias, there is a place under the mountain where Christ appeared to his disciples after his resurrection for the third time: Christ came and, standing near the lake, said: “Children, do you have anything to eat?” They answered: “No.” And Jesus said to them: “Cast the net on the right side, as I tell you, and you will catch it.” They cast out, and it turned out that they could not pull it in because of the many fish; They pulled a net full of large fish onto land - one hundred and fifty-three in total; and they saw fire at the net, and bread, and baked fish, and then, having eaten, Christ gave it to them too. A church was established there in the name of the Holy Apostles. And close to there was the house of Mary Magdalene, where Christ healed her of seven demons; and that place is called Magdalia.
ABOUT THE CITY OF BETHSAIDE
And from there close, on the mountain, are Bethsaida, the town of Andreev and Petrov. And there is a place there where Philip brought Nathanael to Peter and Andrew.
WHERE CHRIST CAME TO THE DISCIPLES WHEN THEY WERE FISHING
And there is a place on the sea where Christ came to the brothers Zebedee and to Andrew and Peter when they were dragging and mending nets. And then Andrew and Peter recognized Christ, and they left the boat and nets there and followed Christ. There, near the sea, there was a village called Zebedee, the father of John, and there was the house of John the Theologian. And Christ cast out a legion of demons from a man there and commanded them to enter the pigs; This is where the pigs drowned in the sea. And nearby there is the village of Capernaum.
And from there there is a large river nearby, which flows from Lake Genisarite and flows into the Sea of Tiberias. Lake Genisarites is very large, forty miles wide, round in shape, there are a lot of fish in it. And there, near that lake, there is a city named Genisira; That’s why it’s called Genisarite.
ABOUT THE CITY OF DECAPOLY
And there is another very large city there called Dekapolis. And there is a level place there near that lake: in that place Jesus stood, teaching the nations that came from Decapolis and from the seaside of Tire and Sidon; This is the place the Gospel speaks about. And Jesus performed many other miracles near that lake.
ABOUT MOUNT LEBANON
And there is, on the other side, to the southeast of that lake, a very high and very large mountain; snow lies on it all summer; the name of Mount Lebanon. On that mountain will be born Lebanon and white incense. And twelve great rivers flowed from that Mount Lebanon: six rivers flowed to the east, and six rivers to the south. And those rivers flow into Lake Genisarit. And six rivers go to Great Antioch. That’s why that place is called Mesopotamia, which means Middle. And there, between those rivers, is Haran, where Abraham came from. Those rivers fill Lake Genisarith with many waters. And from that lake a large river flows into the Sea of Tiberias, and with that water the water in the Sea of Tiberias is restored. And from that sea flows the Jordan. As I said before about the Jordan, so it truly is.
I could not reach that Lebanese mountain with my feet because of the fear of the filthy, but the Christians living there who led us told me well about that mountain; They did not allow us to go there, to that Lebanese mountain, for many filthy people live on that mountain. So only with our own eyes we saw that mountain and those places near that lake of Genisarite. And that lake is close to the Sea of Tiberias, about two miles away; To the southeast of Tiberias is Lake Genisarites.
ABOUT MOUNTAIN FAVOR
Mount Tabor and Nazareth from the Sea of Tiberias to the west; Eight miles of long walk to Mount Tabor: just climb one mountain, climb another small mountain, and the rest is all walking through the fields - all the way to Mount Tabor. Mount Tabor turned out wonderfully and amazingly and inexpressibly in words: it was placed beautifully by God, and very high, and great, and stands in the middle of that beautiful field, like a round haystack; The mountain turned out to be beautiful. And it stands away from all the mountains. And the river flows near that mountain across the field below. And all sorts of trees grew all over Mount Tabor: fig trees, horns and olives - a lot. Mount Tabor is taller than everything around it, stands alone, apart from all the mountains, and stands in the middle of a field very beautifully, like a skillfully made haystack - round, very tall and large in circumference. Its height is such that you can shoot from it four times; and if you shoot up at it, then even in eight shots it’s impossible to reach the top of it. This whole mountain is made of stone, it is difficult to climb it and it is very inconvenient over the stones, you have to climb it in loops. The path is very difficult, so I climbed it with difficulty: from the third to the ninth hour, walking quickly, we barely climbed to the very top of that holy mountain. And at the very top of that mountain, to the northeast, there is a high place, like a small stone peaked hill: in that place Christ our God was transfigured. And there a good church was built, in that place, in the name of the Transfiguration, and another church, in the name of the holy prophets Moses and Elijah, was built at a distance from that place, to the north of the Transfiguration.
ABOUT THE PLACE WHERE CHRIST WAS TRANSFORMED
The place of the Holy Transfiguration is tightly fenced around with a stone fence, and there are iron gates near that fence. Previously there was a bishopric here, now it is a Latin monastery. And in front of that fence, a beautiful field appeared on the top of that mountain. It is wonderful and amazingly arranged by God that there is water here at such a height; for there is much water on that mountain at its very top. Therefore, along that mountain there are fields and good vineyards, and many fruit trees. And you can see from it very far.
IN THE CAVE OF MELCHIZEDEK
Right there, on the same Mount Tabor, there is a very wonderful cave out of the blue. It looks like a small cellar carved into stone. And there was a small window at the top of that saint’s cave. The meal was made at the bottom of that cave on the eastern side, its doors are small, the entrance to this cave is along the steps from the west. And in front of the doors of that cave there are small fig trees; There are all sorts of small trees around it. Before there was a large forest there, near that cave, but now there are small and weak trees there. Saint Melchizedek lived in that cave, and Abraham came to him here and called out to him three times, saying: “Man of God!” Melchizedek went out and brought out bread and wine, made an altar here in that cave, and offered a sacrifice with bread and wine; and the victim was immediately taken to heaven to God. And there Melchizedek blessed Abraham, and Abraham tonsured him and cut his nails, for Melchizedek was shaggy. And this was the beginning of the liturgy with bread and wine, and not with unleavened bread. The prophet says about this: “You are a bishop forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” The cave is located at a distance of about a good shot from the Transfiguration; in the western direction it is a holy place.
We were well received there, in that monastery near the Holy Transfiguration, and we had lunch there. And having slept well and got up, they went to the Church of the Holy Transfiguration, and bowed down at the holy place where Christ our God was transfigured, and kissed that holy place with love and great joy, and, taking a blessing from the abbot and from all the brethren, they left that monastery Saint and went around all the holy places throughout that holy mountain. For there, past that cave of Melchizedek, the road goes to Nazareth. Nazareth lies to the west of Tabor. And again, for the second time, we entered with love into that holy cave and worshiped the holy meal that Melchizedek created while he was with Abraham. And that meal remains in the cave to this day. And now Saint Melchizedek often comes there and serves the liturgy in that holy cave, and all the faithful who live on that holy mountain rest. They truly told me about this. And we praised God, who made us, wicked and unworthy, worthy to see those holy places and kiss them with unworthy lips.
And then we went down from Mount Tabor down to the fields and walked along the field two miles to Nazareth, to the west. And from Mount Tabor to Nazareth there are fifteen miles: two miles in the field, and three in the mountains; the path is very difficult and narrow, it is very difficult to pass, for many filthy Saracens sit in those mountains, and along that field many Saracens sat down, and they kill, coming out of those villages, on that terrible mountain. And I was afraid to go that way with a small number of companions. With a large detachment, it would have been possible to go through that route without fear, but we did not have a detachment, and we ourselves, alone - and there were eight of us in total, and those weak and without weapons - relying on God, we passed through. Protected by God's grace and observed by the prayers of our holy Lady Theotokos, without any harm we reached the holy city of Nazareth, where the holy annunciation to the holy Lady Theotokos was given by the angel Gabriel. Christ was also fed right there.
ABOUT THE CITY OF NAZARETH
Nazareth is a small town in the mountains on a low place, so that only when you are above it you can see it. In the middle of that town, a large and tall church was built with three altars. And when you enter that church, on your left hand there is, as it were, a small, deep cave in front of the small altar. There are two small doors near that cave: some doors are from the west, and others are from the east. The entrance to that cave is through the steps in both those doors. When you enter that cave through the western doors, on your right hand is a cell built with small doors: in that cell lived the Holy Mother of God with Christ, here Christ was fed, in that holy room; here is his bed, on which Jesus lay - here, in that cell. His spoon is made so low on the ground.
ABOUT THE TOMB OF JOSEPH THE BETROOPED
In the same cave - when you enter it through the western doors, on your left hand - there is the tomb of St. Joseph, Mary's betrothed. Here Christ himself buried him with his most pure hands. Near his tomb, something like myrrh, white holy water, comes out from the wall near his tomb, and they take it to heal the sick.
ABOUT THE CAVE WHERE THE HOLY VIRGIN SAT
There is a place there in that cave - close to the western doors: in that place the Holy Mother of God sat, close to the door, and twisted a koknit, which means a purple robe. This is where the Archangel Gabriel came, sent from God to the Virgin Mary.
WHERE THE ARCHANGEL ANNOUNCED THE HOLY VIRGIN
And he stood in front of her, becoming visible to her eyes, a little further from the place where the Most Pure Virgin was sitting. Approximately three pillars are the distance from the cave doors to the place where Gabriel stood. A small round marble table is placed here on one column, and the liturgy is served at that table.
ABOUT THE HOUSE OF JOSEPH THE BEtrothed
There was Joseph's house where that holy cave is located: all this happened in the house of Joseph, Mary's betrothed. And then a church was created over that holy cave in the name of the Holy Annunciation. This holy place was empty before, but now the fryags have renovated and arranged the place well. And there dwells a Latin bishop, very rich, and owns that holy place. And they honored us there with good drink, and food, and everything. And we slept there one night, in that town. And, having slept well and got up the next morning, we went to that church and worshiped all those holy places. And leaving that city, we went a little to the southeast and found a wonderful well, and deep, and very cold; and you have to go down to that water, deep down the steps. And above that well, a church was created in the name of the Archangel Gabriel, and it is round in shape.
ABOUT THE WELL WHERE AN ANGEL BREAKED THE GOSSIP FOR THE FIRST TIME
From the city of Nazareth, the distance is approximately a good shot to the well of that saint: at that well, after all, was the first annunciation to the Holy Mother of God from the archangel. For she came upon the water, and when she had scooped up her waterpot, an invisible angel cried to her, saying: “Rejoice, thou art glad, the Lord is with thee!” Looking around here and there, Mary saw no one, but only heard a voice and, taking her waterpot, she went away, wondering and saying in her mind: “What is this voice that I heard without seeing anyone?” And she entered Nazareth, and entered her house, and sat down in the above-mentioned place, and began to cut the cocknit; and then the Archangel Gabriel appeared clearly, standing in the above-mentioned place. Then he announced the Nativity of Christ to her.
From Nazareth to the village of Esau it is five miles.
ABOUT CANA OF GALILEE
And from that village to Cana of Galilee, one and a half miles. Cana of Galilee stands on a crowded path, and there Christ turned water into wine. And there we found a large detachment going to Acre, and we joined them with great joy, and went with them to Acre.
Acre was a Saracen city, and now it is owned by the Fryags. This town of Acre is located on the Great Sea, and the bay below it is very beautiful. The town has everything in abundance. And from Nazareth to Acre there are twenty-eight miles; Acre is located south of Nazareth. And we stayed there in Acre for four days and, having rested there well and having found a large detachment going to the holy city of Jerusalem, we joined that detachment and went, joyfully, having fun, and came to Kaifa. And from there they went to Mount Carmel, and there they went. And there, in that mountain, is the cave of St. Elijah the Prophet. And we worshiped there, and from there we went to Capernaum. And from Capernaum they came to Caesarea Philippi. And the way there goes all the way near the Great Sea across the field, otherwise along the sands all the way to Caesarea. We stayed there for three days, in that city of Caesarea. Cornelius lived there and was baptized by the Apostle Peter. And from Caesarea they went to Samaria: to the left of Caesarea is the road to Samaria, through the mountains; twenty versts from Caesarea to Samaria. And the next day at noon they were in Samaria. But because of the heat they walked slowly: people could not walk in the heat. And we spent that night in front of that city of Samaria at Jacob’s well, where Christ talked with the Samaritan woman.
ABOUT JERUSALEM
And from there we got up and went our way, by which we had first come from Jerusalem. And they reached the holy city of Jerusalem with great joy and greetings.
We did not see any evil on this path, but God showed us everything well, so that we could see with our own eyes all those holy places. Where Christ our God went for our salvation, He also vouchsafed us, sinners, to go there and gave us to see those holy places. And we saw that wonderful land of Galilee with our own eyes; God allowed me to go around the whole land of Palestine. And, protected by God's grace, they set out without dirty tricks, observing the prayers of the Holy Mother of God, and walked around the entire Palestinian land. After all, that land all around Jerusalem is called Palestine.
We strengthen with God's help, I went around those holy places, not meeting anywhere either filthy or fierce beasts, I did not have to see any other evil, I did not feel any slight weakness in my body, but I was always, like an eagle, light, by God's grace We observe and strengthen by the power of the Most High. Although I should boast, I will only boast in the strength of my Christ: for “my strength is made perfect in weakness,” as the Apostle Paul says. And what will I repay to the Lord for everything that he has given me, bad, sinful and unworthy, so much grace to see and walk through these holy places and to fulfill the desire of my heart? After all, what I was honored to see, God showed me, so that I could see, unworthy and bad slave.
And forgive me, my brothers, fathers and masters, and do not reproach my weakness for writing, not cunningly, but simply, about the places of these saints, and about Jerusalem, and about this Promised Land. However, although he did not write wisely, he did not write falsely either: as he saw with his own eyes, so he wrote.
ABOUT THE HEAVENLY LIGHT: HOW IT DESCENDS TO THE LORD’S SEMBLE
And this is about the holy light: how it descends to the Holy Sepulcher. The Lord gave this to me, a bad and unworthy servant, to see. And I truly saw with my sinful eyes how the holy light descended to the life-giving Tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ. Many wanderers tell lies about the descent of the holy light: after all, one says that the Holy Spirit descends like a dove to the Holy Sepulcher, and others say: lightning descends from heaven, and the lamps are lit there over the Holy Sepulcher. And that is a lie and not true, because then nothing is visible - neither a dove, nor lightning. But so, invisibly, He descends from heaven by the grace of God and lights the lamps in the Holy Sepulcher. Yes, and I’ll tell you about this as I saw it, truly.
On Good Friday, after Vespers, they wipe the Holy Sepulcher, and wash all the lamps, and pour in pure oil without water - only that oil. And having stuck the lamps into the tins, they do not light those lamps, but leave those lamps unlit. And they seal the Coffin at two o'clock in the morning. And then all the lamps and candles in all the churches in Jerusalem are extinguished.
Then I, bad and unworthy, on that Friday at one o’clock in the afternoon, went to that prince Baldwin and bowed to him to the ground. He, seeing me, bad, called me to him with love and said to me: “What do you want, Russian abbot?” He got to know me well and loved me very much, because he is a virtuous husband, very humble, and not at all proud. I told him: “My prince, my lord! I pray to you for the sake of God and the princes for the sake of the Russians: command me that I too place my lamp on the Holy Sepulcher from all the Russian land!” Then he seriously and lovingly ordered me to place the lamp on the Holy Sepulcher, and sent with me my husband, his best servant, to the steward of the Church of the Holy Resurrection and to the one who holds the key to the Sepulcher. And the steward and the steward of the Holy Sepulcher commanded me to bring my lamp with oil. I, having bowed to them, went with great joy and bought a glass lamp, very large, and, pouring it full of pure oil, brought it to the Holy Sepulcher, when evening had already come. I begged the housekeeper, who was then alone inside the Tomb, and promised him something, and he opened the holy doors for me, ordered me to take off my boots, and so, barefoot, he led me alone into the Holy Sepulcher with the lamp that I carried with me, and ordered me to put the lamp on the Holy Sepulcher myself. And I placed it with my sinful hands at the feet - where the most pure feet of our Lord Jesus Christ lay. For at the head stood a Greek lamp, and on the chest was placed the lamp of St. Sava and all the monasteries. After all, this is the custom here: every year they put up a Greek lamp and Saint Sava. And by the grace of God those three lamps lit up then; and the Fryazhsk lamp was hung on top, but not one of them caught fire.
I then, having placed a lamp on the Holy Sepulcher, and having bowed to that honorable Sepulcher, and having kissed with love and with tears the holy place where the body of our Lord Jesus Christ lay, left the Holy Sepulcher with great joy and went to my cell.
The next day, on Holy Saturday at six o'clock in the afternoon, all the people gather in front of the Church of the Holy Resurrection - countless people, residents of that land and strangers from all countries: from Babylon, and from Egypt, and from all ends of the earth. An untold multitude gathers there that day. And all those places near the church and near the Crucifixion of Christ are filled with people; and there is great crowding and cruel crush among the people there, so that many people then suffocate from the crowdedness of the countless people. And those people all stand with unlit candles and wait for the church doors to open. Then only the priests are inside the church. And the priests and all the people wait until the prince comes with his retinue; and then the church doors open, and people enter the church in great crowds and crushes, and fill that church and choir. Everything is done in full, for all the people cannot fit into that church, but a lot of people remain outside the church near Golgotha and near the Extreme Place, and right up to the place where the crosses were found, and all this is done completely by countless numbers of people. And all those people in the church and outside the church say nothing else, only: “Lord, have mercy!” they cry unremittingly and shout loudly, so that the whole place hums and thunders from the cry of those people. And here the tears of the faithful people flow in streams. Even with a heart of stone, a person can then shed tears. For everyone then looks into himself and remembers his sins, and everyone says to himself: “Is it really because of my sins that the holy light will not come down?” And so all the faithful people stand in tears with broken hearts. And that Prince Baldwin himself stands with great fear and humility, and streams miraculously flow from his eyes. Also, his squad stands next to him opposite the Sepulcher, near the large altar; and they all stand with humility.
And when the seventh hour of the Sabbath day came, then Prince Baldwin went to the Holy Sepulcher with his retinue from his house; Everyone went on foot. And the prince sent Saint Sava to the place, and called the abbot of that Saint Sava with his monks. And the abbot went with the brethren to the Holy Sepulcher, and I, thin, immediately went with that abbot and the brethren. And we approached that prince, and we all bowed to him. Then he bowed to the abbot and all the brethren, and ordered the abbot of St. Sava and me, the thin one, to go next to him, and he ordered the other abbots and monks to all go in front of him, and ordered his squad to go behind.
And we came to the Church of the Resurrection of Christ, to the western doors. And so many people closed the doors of the church, and then we could not enter the church. Then Prince Baldwin gave the order to the soldiers, and they forcibly dispersed the people and made, as it were, a street all the way to the Tomb, and then we were able to walk between the people straight to the Tomb. And we approached the eastern doors of the Holy Sepulcher, and the prince came up behind us and stood in his place on the right side at the barrier of the great altar opposite the eastern doors and the doors of the Sepulcher, for here is the prince’s place, built high.
And the prince ordered the abbot of St. Sava to stand over the tomb with his monks and the Orthodox priests. He ordered me, the bad one, to be placed high above the very doors of the Sepulchre, opposite the great altar, so that I could look into the doors of the Sepulcher. All three doors of the Tomb were sealed, and sealed with the royal seal. The Latin priests stood in the great altar. And when the eighth hour of the day arrived, the Orthodox priests, and the monks, and all the spiritual men began to sing vespers on the Tomb above; and there were many hermits here; The Latins in the great altar began to squeal in their own way. And so they all sang, and I stood here, diligently looking at the doors of the Tomb. And when they began to read the paremias of that Great Saturday, during the first paremia the bishop and the deacon came out of the great altar, approached the doors of the Sepulcher, and looked into the Sepulcher through the sacrum of those doors, and did not see the light in the Sepulcher, and returned to their place. And when they began to read the sixth proverb, the same bishop approached the door of the Sepulcher and again saw nothing. And then all the people cried out with tears, “Kyrie, eleison!”, which means “Lord, have mercy!” And when the ninth hour passed and they began to sing the passage song “We sing to the Lord,” then suddenly a small cloud came from the east and stood over the uncovered top of that church, and a little rain fell over the Holy Sepulcher, and wetted us well, standing on the Sepulcher. And then suddenly the holy light shone in the Holy Sepulcher: a terrible and bright brilliance came out of the Holy Sepulcher of the Lord. And approaching, the bishop with four deacons opened the doors of the Tomb, and took a candle from that prince, from Baldwin, and with it entered the Tomb, and first of all he lit the prince’s candle from that holy light. Having taken that candle out of the Tomb, he gave it to the prince himself in his hands. And the prince stood in his place, holding the candle with great joy. And from him we all lit our candles, and from our candles all the people lit their candles throughout the church, lighting candles from each other.
The holy light is not like earthly fire, but miraculously, shining differently, unusually; and its flame is red as cinnabar; and glows absolutely unspeakably.
And so all the people stand with burning candles, and all the people cry out loudly, “Lord, have mercy!” with great joy and joy. Such joy cannot be experienced by a person in any other case, what kind of joy does every Christian have who has seen the holy light of God. And whoever did not experience that joy on that day does not believe those who talk about everything he saw. However, wise and faithful people willingly believe and joyfully listen to the story about this true event and about these holy places. He who is faithful in small things is faithful in many things, but to an evil person, an unfaithful person, the true appears crooked. For me, the bad one, God is my witness, and the Holy Sepulcher, and all the companions, the Russian sons who happened there that day, the Novgorodians and Kyivians: Izyaslav Ivanovich, Gorodislav Mikhailovich Kashkich and many others who know about me, the bad one, and about this story. But let's return to the interrupted story.
When the light shone in the Holy Sepulcher, then the singing stopped, and everyone exclaimed: “Kyrie, eleison!”, and they left the church with burning candles and with great joy, keeping their candles so that the wind would not extinguish them, and each of them walked back home. And from that holy light they light lamps in their churches and finish the evening singing in their homes. And in the great church at the Holy Sepulcher the priests themselves, alone without people, finish the evening singing. Then we, the abbot and the brethren, went to our monastery, carrying burning candles, and there we finished the evening singing, and went to our cells, praising God, who gave us, unworthy, to see this grace of God.
And at Matins on Holy Sunday, having sung the matins service, and after kissing the abbot and the brethren, after absolution, which took place at one o’clock in the afternoon, taking up the cross, the abbot and all the brethren went to the Holy Sepulcher, singing this kontakion: “Although in the tomb come down, immortal!” And having entered the Holy Life-Giving Sepulcher, they kissed the Holy Sepulcher with love and with warm tears and here they enjoyed the fragrant aroma of the coming of the Holy Spirit; and the lamps still burned brightly and wonderfully. Those three lamps were lit then, as the steward and the steward of the Holy Sepulcher told us. Turning to the abbot, they both said: “Below, standing on the Holy Sepulcher, those three lamps lit up.” And five other lamps hang over the Tomb; but they burned then, although their light was different, not the same as that of those three lamps, unusually and miraculously glowing.
And then we left the Sepulcher by the eastern doors and, entering the great altar, kissed the Orthodox there, and, after absolution, the abbot and the brethren, we left the Church of the Holy Resurrection, and went to our monastery, and there we rested until the liturgy.
And three days after the Resurrection of the Lord, according to the liturgy, we went to the key keeper of the Holy Sepulcher, and I told him: “I would like to take my lamp.” He received me with love and brought me alone into the Tomb. And entering the Tomb, I saw my lamp standing on the Holy Tomb and still burning with that holy light. And I bowed to that Holy Sepulcher and kissed with love and tears that holy place where the most pure body of our Lord Jesus Christ lay. And then I myself measured the Coffin in length, width and height, such as it was; It’s impossible for anyone to measure it in front of people. And I honored the Holy Sepulcher according to my strength as best I could, and gave that housekeeper something a little, as well as my bad blessing. He, seeing my love for the Holy Sepulcher, then moved away the tablet located in the heads of the Holy Sepulcher, and separated me from that holy stone with a small blessing, forbidding me with an oath to speak about it to anyone in Jerusalem. I bowed to the Holy Sepulcher and the keeper of the key and, taking my lamp with the holy oil, left the Holy Sepulcher with great joy, enriched by the grace of God, carrying in my hand the gift of the holy place and the sign of the Holy Sepulcher, and walked, rejoicing like some treasure of wealth carrying. He went to his cell, rejoicing with great joy.
And God is witness to this, and the Holy Sepulcher of the Lord, that, being in all the holy places, I did not forget the names of Russian princes and princesses, and their children, bishops, abbots and boyars, and my spiritual children; and I never forgot all Christians; but he commemorated him in all holy places. First of all, I bowed for the princes for everyone, and then I prayed for my sins. And for this I praise the good God, who granted me, the bad one, the names of the Russian princes to write in the Lavra of St. Sava; and now their names are remembered in litany, with their wives and their children. Here are their names: Mikhail-Svyatopolk, Vasily-Vladimir, David Svyatoslavich, Mikhail-Oleg, Pankraty Svyatoslavich, Gleb Minsky. I only remembered their names, so I wrote them down. In addition to all the Russian princes, I prayed for the boyars at the Holy Sepulcher and in all the holy places. And we sang liturgies for the Russian princes and for all Christians - fifty liturgies in total, and forty liturgies for the departed.
May all who read this scripture with faith and love receive a blessing from God, and from the Holy Sepulcher, and from all the places of these saints: they will receive a reward from God on an equal basis with those who walked to these places of saints. Blessed are those who have seen and believed, and thrice blessed are those who have not seen who believe. Believing, Abraham came to the Promised Land. Truly, faith is equal to good works.
For God's sake, my brothers and masters, do not reproach me for my feeble-mindedness and my rudeness. May this scripture not be desecrated for my sake, and for the Holy Sepulcher, and for the sake of the saints of these places. Whoever reads it with love, may he receive his reward from God our Savior Jesus Christ. And the God of peace be with you all forever - Amen.
There are very few ancient Russian texts where we find such a natural combination of interest in reality and love for the miraculous, expressed so simply and in a language enriched with folk expressive means.
R. Picchio
An analysis of the “Walk” by Abbot Daniel gives every reason to believe that this work was created by a pilgrim in the canon of Christian art. However, later editions of the work by scribes, whose creative method differed from Danilov’s (the “gnomes” and “empirics” modes), leave a noticeable imprint on the entire artistic and figurative system of “Walking”. Let us, however, try to reconstruct, if not the original text of this monument, then at least the system of its meanings...
Abbot Daniel (second half of the 11th – beginning of the 12th century), as researchers suggest, was a monk of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery, and then the abbot of some monastery in the Chernigov land. At the beginning of the 12th century. (possibly 1104 - 1107, according to Yu. P. Glushakova; in 1106 - 1107, according to R. Picchio; or in 1106 - 1108, according to N. K. Gudziya, V. V. Kuskov etc.) made a pilgrimage to Palestine. It can be assumed that he led a group of pilgrims - Daniel mentions “the squad, the Russian sons ... Nogorodians and Kiyans” - who received a special reception in Jerusalem. The basis for this assumption may be that Daniel was invited to the Easter service by King Baldwin himself, in whose retinue he went to the Church of the Resurrection, where the “Russian abbot” was placed (no less than as an honored guest) “high above the very doors of the Sepulchres, opposite the great altar" so that he could see the "doors of the Tomb"; he was allowed to place a censer on the Holy Sepulcher for the entire Russian land, and on the third day after the Resurrection he was allowed to take this censer, moreover, at a time when there were no people in the temple, so that Daniel was able to measure “with himself the Sepulcher in length and width and height.” , how much there is; in front of people it is impossible to measure it for anyone”; and even the sacristan who accompanied the abbot, to whom Daniel “according to his strength... as if he could... bestowed something small and a bad blessing of his,” in gratitude for this he moved away the tablet that was at the head of the Holy Sepulcher and “huyat” for the Russian abbot “that holy stone is a small blessing,” “having forbidden with an oath not to tell anyone in Jerusalem”; in the Lavra near St. Savva, at the Holy Sepulcher “and in all holy places” Daniel wrote down in remembrance the names of Russian princes (among which, by the way, the name of Gleb Vseslavich Minsky) and boyars, and also sang the liturgy “for the Russian princes and for all Christians, 50 liturgies ; and for the deceased there are 40 liturgies." It is unlikely that this could have been done by a “Russian abbot” who was not vested with special powers.
On his way to Palestine, Daniel stopped in Constantinople, Ephesus, and Cyprus. He spent 16 months in Palestine itself, living in the monastery of St. Savva the Sanctified near Jerusalem.
“The Life and Walk of Daniel, the Abbot of the Russian Land,” written by him, became widespread in medieval East Slavic literature and was copied until the 19th century. More than a hundred of his lists are known. However, all of them are no older than the 15th century, that is, they are at least three hundred years away from the archetype, so the original text, which has probably undergone serious distortions and revisions, seems difficult for researchers to restore, which must be taken into account when analyzing this work.
Daniel begins his “Walk” by explaining how he happened to get to Palestine: “Behold, the unworthy abbot Danil of the Russian land, the worst in all respects, the sins of many, is dissatisfied (not diligent enough.- L.L.) blasé in every matter (- in other words, having no right to even think, let alone claim to visit the Holy Land, nevertheless) forced by my thoughts and my restlessness“, the lust to see the holy city of Jerusalem and the Promised Land,” writes the pilgrim, realizing the daring impiety – self-indulgence! – of the desire “to see the holy city.” Probably this daring “lust,” as Daniel is sure, would have remained in vain, but “ foreheadless showing me God knows, for whom I have longed for many days in my thoughts." In other words, the pilgrimage performed by Daniel is a gift from God to the sinful abbot: "Where did Christ our God go with His feet, the same and less evil and sinful God grant walk around and see all that land... We didn’t hope to see him anymore, the same we show God to see and walk around my feet were unworthy, and I saw with my eyes sinners all that holy and desired land." And it is precisely as a gift of God that this visit to the Holy Land should be described. "But I walked in an unconventional way on this holy path, in all laziness and weakness and in drunkenness and all inappropriate doing his deeds, the pilgrim repents before the readers. -- But both hoping for the mercy of God and your prayer May Christ God forgive me my countless sins, may I write down this path and these holy places, without being exalted or magnified in this way, as if having done good on this path, do not be: I have done nothing good on this path; But love for the sake of these holy places is written all over, as soon as I saw my eyes, so that we don’t forget what God has shown to the unworthy"so that to all who read this scripture with faith and love, a blessing from God and from the Holy Sepulcher, and from all these holy places; received bribes from God equally with those who went to this holy place. Blessed are those who have seen faith, but blessings have not seen those who have believed...” (26).
Daniel emphasizes several times: the pilgrimage he made was a gift from God, and not a merit, much less a feat of the “sinful abbot.” " Mnozi bo, there are houses in their places, good people with their thoughts and the alms of the poor, with your good deeds, reach these holy places who may receive a greater reward from God our Savior Jesus Christ" (28), Daniel assures those who are thirsty to "seek God with their feet." And vice versa, he warns: " Much more, reaching these holy places and the holy city Jerusalem and being lifted up in their minds, as if they had done something good, and destroying the reward of their labor, from them I am the first” (28).
The purpose of the scribe-pilgrim is to describe the Holy Land “not falsely, in truth, as I have seen". Because there are many who, “having reached these places, not being able to experience the goodness, are blasphemous about these places, and others, not having reached these places, lie a lot and whore” (92). And Daniel also helped to “test the goodness” of the holy places Lord: “I’m bad,” the abbot admits, “ God of the show her husband is holy and old in days, and bookish and spiritual, who lived in Galilee for 30 years, and lived with Saint Sava in the Lavra for 20 years, and my husband decreeed everything according to the truth, having experienced good from the holy books" (92). "Yes. How can I, a sinner, be rewarded with so much good to see!” (92) exclaims Daniel, touched by God’s immeasurable kindness.
Abbot Daniel visited various areas of the Kingdom of Jerusalem - Jericho, Bethlehem, Galilee, and joined the army of the “Prince of Jerusalem Baldwin” to Lake Tiberias. The pilgrim describes in detail the routes of his hikes and the shrines he saw, retelling the biblical and apocryphal legends (omologoumέna) and church historical traditions associated with them. At the same time, the breadth of his knowledge of sacred history is striking, which, perhaps, he owes not only to his education, but also to the stories of the “holy and ancient and bookish great husband” who took care of him.
Daniel's curiosity knows no bounds. Daniel describes the nature of Palestine and its surrounding areas, often resorting to comparisons with the nature and landscapes of Russian lands (the zygium tree, from the resin of which “black incense” is obtained in Makri, resembles alder; styrax, from which “white incense” is also obtained there, - - aspen; the Jordan is similar to the river Snov, which is in the Chernigov (or Voronezh?) land; the trees along its banks are like willows, and the bushes are like vines and dogwoods, etc.). The Russian abbot is interested in urban planning and architecture, the irrigation system near Jericho, the taste of Jordanian water, the size of temples (for example, the Church of the Resurrection “is round, of all kinds, and is 30 fathoms long” (36); the Church of the Holy of Holies from the Resurrection “is like you can shoot twice” “it is wonderfully and cunningly created” “its beauty is indescribable; it is created in a round way; the exact location of the shrines relative to each other (“the three feet far from the doors... of the caves... the angel, sitting down, appeared to the women and the gospel of the resurrection of Christ" (36), “towards the east, like two shot far from the river... Elijah the prophet was snatched up in a chariot of fire. And so was the cave of St. John the Baptist" (56), etc.)
But the reason for such curiosity of the pilgrim is by no means selfish and idle curiosity with the goal of simply admiring, and then, on occasion, boasting of what he saw, but the great responsibility that the scribe feels before God and his compatriots for every missed detail, for every untold detail: “Thou shalt fear that servant.” lazy, who hid the talent of his master and did not make a purchase for them, and this was written for the sake of the faithful people" (27). Therefore, the descriptions themselves are not self-sufficient, as is the case in memoirs and travel notes, but they have a theological-edifying, rather than memoir-local history, character and, from a certain perspective, are close to the corresponding narratives of the six days, which tell about the divine harmony of the world created by the Creator.
For example, the unprecedented abundance that reigns in Middle Eastern cities and islands, which amazes the pilgrim on his way to Palestine, is perceived and described by him as a consequence of the involvement of these lands in Sacred history and proximity to the Promised Land, where milk and honey flow. So the description of material wealth given along with the description of Christian shrines in Daniel’s “Walk” is not oxymoronic, but quite natural: shrines precisely “ensure” the well-being of those who care about them and worship them. So, on the way to Jerusalem, Daniel notes: “... from Crete to Teneda the island is 30 versts. That is, 1 island on the Great Sea, and that lies Saint Navgudimos the martyr. And opposite that island on the breez there was a great hail named Troas, and there is Paul the Apostle came and he taught that whole country and baptized. And from Teneda Island to Metania Island it is 100 versts; and that one lies the Holy Metropolitan of Meletinski. And from Meletinia to Akhiya the island is 100 versts; and that one lie holy martyr Isidore. AND(due to the sanctification of this land by the apostolic teaching and the relics of the saints, as Daniel’s thought could be verbalized, --) in that island there is mastic, and good wine, and every vegetable" (30).
Narrating about Ephesus, the pilgrim remarks: “And there is coffin of John the Evangelist. And holy dust comes out of that tomb as a memorial to him. And faithful people take that holy dust for the healing of every ailment. And John’s retinue lies there, the same one he walked in. And there is a cave nearby, where lie down the body of the 7th youth, who slept for 300 and 60 years: under Decius the kings died, and under Theodosius the kings appeared. In the same cave 300 holy father lies; And Saint Alexander lies that. AND Magdalyn Marya's coffin and her head; And Holy Apostle Timothy, a disciple of the holy Apostle Paul, lies in an old tomb. And that one in the old church icon of the Holy Mother of God, with which Nestoria the heretic was preserved in holiness. And that Dioscorides bathhouse, where John the Evangelist worked with Prokhor at Romana's. And I see the refuge where John the Evangelist, the sea is erupting… (And as a consequence of such a number of shrines --) Ephesus it's hail... there is plenty of all good things"(30). Having stayed there for three days, Daniel and his companions bowed to "that holy tomb and the grace of God preserved by the prayers of St. John the Theologian... rejoicing" (30) they moved on. For the reader it is absolutely clear: if, having spent only three days next to the shrine , the pilgrims “went off rejoicing,” protected by the prayers of John the Theologian, then of course the city, constantly being under the protection of the holy apostle, one cannot but be “abundant with all good things.”
“The land of Ephraim” near Bethlehem, Daniel reports, “is called the land of Judah, and about that prophet speak: And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are in no way the least among the thousands of Judah, and from you shall come forth a leader who will shepherd my people of Israel" (68). In full accordance with the ancient prophecy and blessing, " that land near Bethlehem red and green in the mountains and trees prolific The vegetables stand on the hillside so red: olive trees, and figs, and crops are innumerable, there are many grapes around Bethlehem, and there are many fields throughout the land" (68).
As we approach Jerusalem, this blessing of the land increases, reaching its greatest measure in the Holy City: “The place is waterless: there is no river, no well, no spring near Jerusalem, but only one font of Siloam,” Daniel notes and is surprised. - But all people and animals in that city live by rainwater. good life is born near Jerusalem in stone without rain, but tacos By God's command and favor. A fair amount of wheat and barley will be born... Is this a blessing from God on that Holy land?! There are many grapes near Jerusalem, and fruitful vegetable trees, figs and agodice, and olive trees, and crops, and all other kinds of trees, innumerable throughout all that land" (50)!
“About Mount Hebron” Daniel notes the same: “... And now truly there is that land is promised by God and blessed with all good things from God: There is plenty of wheat, and wine, and oil, and every vegetable, and there is plenty of livestock; both sheep and cattle are killed twice in the summer; and the bees got stuck in the stones of those red mountains; There are many grapes along those hills, and there are a lot of vegetable trees, and there are countless vegetables... And there are every vegetable; and there are rays of vegetables and more than all the vegetables that exist on the earth under heaven, there is no such vegetable anywhere. And the waters are good and healthy in that place... Unspeakable is that land near Fevron!" (72).
On Mount Tabor - “the place where Christ was transfigured,” Wonderful and wondrous is God's dispensation, there is a hedgehog as high as there is water; There is a lot of water on that mountain at the very top. So the fields are, and the good grapes, and the many vegetable trees are from that mountain...” (100).
The sanctification of the Holy Land also has a beneficial effect on the pilgrim: " We strengthen with God's help, similar to that holy place, didn't see nowhere filthy, nor fierce beasts, nor useful for me to see anything else evil is nothing, I haven’t felt a little infirmity in my body; but always, like an eagle, we lighten up, We observe by God's grace And by the power of the Most High we strengthen"(106)," the "scribe" admits.
And only the place where the court of Judas, the traitor of Christ, was, is empty and no one dares to settle there...
Describing the shrines of Jerusalem itself, Daniel, all the more, acts not just as an observant local historian and scrupulous factographer, but as an inspired theologian-hagiographer: measuring and calculating, he offers the reader not a local history encyclopedia or a museum catalogue, but an inspired sacred historical poem in which all images are interconnected and complementary and mutually explain each other; immerse the pilgrim and the reader “here and now” in the “always” eternally occurring and eternally lasting Sacred history.
For example, in the Church of the Resurrection of the Lord, “before the cave doors there is a stone, three feet away from those cave doors”; This stone can not only be seen, but also touched. However, this is not just a stone, but the same one on which “the angel, sitting, appeared to the women and brought the gospel of the resurrection of Christ” (36). And behind the altar of this church is the navel of the earth, 12 fathoms from which Christ was crucified on the Cross - in that place now lies a stone with a hole for the cross. And the place of the crucifixion is not accidental: “underneath that stone lay the head of the primordial Adam. And at the crucifixion of Christ... the church catapetasm broke up, and the stone disintegrated; then that stone also sat gray over the head of Adamley, and from that cleft came blood and water from the ribs of the Lady upon the head of Adam and washed away all the sins of the human race. And there is a cleft in that stone to this day" (38). And you can also touch it, “touching” at the same time the Sacred history in its entirety - from the first Adam to the Second - and seeing with your own eyes the place of the suffering of the Lord, saving for humanity, including personally for the pilgrim and his readers "Walking". But in this same place, Daniel reminds, “Isaac was raised up, where Christ was brought up as a sacrifice and was slain for us for the sake of sinners” (40).
Such is the strangeness of the Holy Land, its detachment from the “temporal years,” its everything in everything in every place, and that is why it is “ineffable and ineffable,” as Daniel put it. Indeed, how can one exhaustively talk about a shrine that condenses in itself many, many sacred historical events and realities: “From pillar that ( Davydova) was close house of Uriev, whose Uriah was killed by David and his wife, seeing her washing in the bathhouse... There are nobility, where was that bathhouse until today... And that church was built in the place of that church, a great church, but now a small church. That is the essence of the great door to the east, facing: Saint Mary of Egypt came to those doors, and you want to bring her in and kiss you, but do not let her in, the power of the Holy Spirit into the church... And there is the ditch is near, where Jeremiah the prophet was thrown, that and his house was. Here you go Paul the Apostle courtyard was before, when he was a Jew. And from there, go a little to the east, and give up a little from that path: there is house was Saints Joachim and Anna... to the east facing Davydov’s pillar as if to finish shooting, and in that place kill Davyd Goliyad" (42, 78).
Or “About the font”: “there is a font on the Jordan, and that buy Christians coming. There is also a ford across the Jordan into Arabia. On in the same place the Jordan parted ancient times son of Israel, and the people passed on dry land. Yelesei hit the same one with a mantle Ilina fell into the water, and the Jordan went dry. On the same font and Maria Egyptians preide on the waters to Father Zosima, and received the body of Christ, and again on the waters they went into the desert" (54), etc.
The “Walk” ends with a description of the service in the Church of the Resurrection on Easter night, when the Divine fire descends on the Holy Sepulcher. The detail of the description here is caused by the need to say, finally, how this annual miracle actually happens, because, Daniel notes, “many strangers speak wrongly about the descent of the Holy Light, but they lie, as if the Holy Spirit descends like a dove to the Holy Sepulcher; but the friends say , like lightning descending from the sky, and like a lightning flashing over the Holy Sepulcher, and that is a lie and untruth, there is nothing to see then, neither the dove nor the little one..." (108).
This episode is the culmination of the walk (both as a visit to Palestine and as a description of this visit), since in the chronotope of the Holy Land, participation in the Resurrection of the Lord means the personal resurrection/transformation of the pilgrim through a peculiar catharsis- first of intense repentant expectation, and then - of indescribable joy from participating in a great miracle and possessing a miraculous fire: “... and all these people in the church and outside the church say nothing else, but only “Lord, have mercy!” unremittingly and loudly crying out loudly, as if the whole place was thundering and thundering from the cry of those people, and that source of tears are shed from faithful people, even if someone has a hardened heart, but then even that one can shed a tear, for every person will then see for himself and remember his sins his own. And every person says within himself: when for the sake of my sins the Holy Light does not descend?..” (110) And when “the Holy Light suddenly appeared on the Holy Sepulchre, and a blaze of fear and light came out... and so all the people stand with lights. burning and crying out loudly: “Lord, have mercy!” with great joy and joy, for such joy cannot exist for a person, as then happens to every Christian who has seen the Holy Light of God...” (112).
October 2011.
**The first literary work is “The Sermon on Law and Grace”
*** Techniques artistic expression appeared in folklore earlier than in literature.
"Folklore as the art of words"
The Walk of Abbot Daniel
Walking works describing a journey to the East were called.
Daniel's journey to Palestine.
Abbot- abbot of the monastery, but the work does not say which monastery he is from. Possibly the Bishop of Yuryev.
Although he describes a journey to a distant country, Russian life is reflected in this work (compares the Sosnovka River with the Jordan; he wrote down the names of 10 Russian princes who were in enmity for eternal obedience)
Pilgrimage literature, religious travel.
It is attractive because it describes the greatest Christian shrines, and it is also a guidebook, an indicator of routes (“from Jericho to Jordan there are five great miles...”).
What places: Jerusalem, Galilee, Nazareth, Lake of Galilee, Jordan. He talks in great detail about the nature of Palestine, about its gifts (I really liked the Grapes). Describes Mount Hebron.
All details of the descriptions are details of an eyewitness.
What secret thought of Daniel's heart led him to Palestine? Prayer for the Russian land, for all its princes and peasants (tells in conclusion). For three days he prayed for the Russian land.
An innovative work.
The period of genre construction of ancient Russian literature.
The genre of religious travel is being established. All other writers learned from him.
The manner of presentation is simplicity. The narration is told in the first person. The manner follows from the very nature of the genre. Main actor- the traveler himself.
The work was extremely popular in Rus'.
"The Tale of Igor's Campaign"
Most of the questions on the test are related to the “Word”.
The appearance of chronicles about Yaroslav the Wise. The realization came that there is a Russian land, how the Slavs settled. Then the high heroic epic appeared ---> “The Word”.
“The Word” has been translated into many languages of the world.
In 1985, UNESCO celebrated the anniversary of the events described in the Lay (1185).
It is located on a par with the monuments of the European Middle Ages.
Discovery History!!
The credit for the discovery belongs to Count Musin-Pushkin. Outstanding statesman, historian, collector of rare manuscripts, member of the Russian Academy. Its collection of historical rarities numbers several thousand issues.
He opened the “Teaching to the Children” and the “Laurentine Chronicle”.
The “Word” was found by chance; nothing was known about the existence of this work until the 18th century. The find is associated with the Spaso-Yaroslavl Monastery in Yaroslavl (now there is a museum there). The rector of the monastery at that time was Joel Bykovsky. The last one quarter XVIII century, in 1788, the monastery was abolished. But Joel Bykovsky remained to live there until his death. In 1788, the Spaso-Yaroslavl chronograph, which included the “Word,” was purchased from Joel Bykovsky. This was the only manuscript in the monastery that consisted of secular works. Konvalut is a collection consisting of several independent works bound into one volume. There was a legend about the Belgian kingdom, a geographical essay “Description of an Amphibian Circle”, which ended with “The Word”.
There are many unknowns in the acquisition story.
In 1813, the historian Kalaidovich wrote a letter to Musin-Pushkin with questions. He replied that Bykovsky was in short supply; his commission agent bought all Russian books from him. Kalaidovich published his answers after the death of Musin-Pushkin.
1791 - Catherine the Second decree that all valuable manuscripts located in monasteries must be copied and then returned to their place.
Prince Khovansky opened a case against Musin-Pushkin because he took manuscripts from church libraries. Musin-Pushkin convinced that the chronograph did not belong to the monastery, but to Bykovsky personally, but this is not so.
1787 The Spaso-Yaroslavl chronograph was given away.
It was included in the inventory of the monastery's property.
In 1788, against the Spaso-Yaroslavl chronograph there is a note “destroyed due to disrepair.”
That is... did Musin-Pushkin appropriate it?
Mikhail Matveevich Kheraskov “a poem by an unknown author was recently found, it mentions a button accordion, a poet.”
“Two years ago (incorrectly) a poem was found that resembles Asianov’s poems”
A copy was made for Catherine II, which was lost in her papers and was printed in the 19th century.
The seal was prepared by Bantysh-Kamensky. Assistant Malinovsky.
Very experienced polygraphers (a discipline that deals with the study of a manuscript, especially its appearance: what is written on it/spelling/whether there are watermarks)
The manuscript of “The Lay” was written on paper - it is late