"Ancient and Holy in the Holy Land" (Israel - Palestine and Jordan) May 12 - 25, 2013 The proposed trip is an Orthodox Christian pilgrimage and educational tour. We combine visits to sites of religious significance with stops at places of historical and archaeological importance. The tour will be of interest to all who have an interest in the Early Church, Monasticism and the Ancient Middle East. If you are interested in joining this tour or have any questions, please contact us!

“Ancient and Holy in the Holy Land” is a unique trip that combines several features. It is first and foremost an Orthodox Christian pilgrimage. Our highest priority is the veneration of the Holy Sites associated with the Earthly Ministry of our Savior, Most Holy Virgin Mary, Apostles of our Lord and a multitude of righteous individuals from the Old and New Testament. Therefore, we will first and foremost visit Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jericho, Mt. Tabor and number of sites in Galilee. At the same time, we seek to provide members of our tour with a better understanding of the ecclesiastical and cultural-historical background of the Holy Land; for this reason, we will visit important monuments of the Jewish and Nabatean past – Masada, Qumran, and Petra, as well as imposing Roman Ruins at Sephoris and Jerash. The trip includes visits to important monuments of the Byzantine past, chiefly active and ruined monastic sites of Israel and Jordan, such as the monasteries of St. Sabbas, St. Theodosius, St. George of Hoziba, and the foundations at Kursi and Um Rassas. While this religious tour is prepared with an Orthodox traveler in mind, anyone interested in Early Church History and in the Antiquities of the Middle East will surely benefit from our voyage.

Please note that the following itinerary has tentative dates that may change. Updates will be posted as soon as confirmed dates will be available. Please keep checking back or contact Fr. Ilya Gotlinsky for more information. Thank you for your interest and we hope to see you in our pilgrim group.

ANCIENT AND HOLY IN THE HOLY LAND

(Israel-Palestine and Jordan)

May 12 - 25, 2013

Honorary Leader of the Pilgrimage: His Grace Michael (Dahulich), Bishop of the Diocese of New York and New Jersey.

ITINERARY:

Day 01 – Sunday, May 12, 2013

Departure from New York.

Day 02 – Monday, May 13, 2013

Arrival to Amman. Transfer to hotel for rest, supper and overnight.

Day 03 – Tuesday, May 14, 2013

This morning we will travel North to visit the Archeological Park in Jerash, which is the site of some of the largest and better preserved ruins of one of the major cities of the historical and biblical Decapolis. For its state of preservation, this archeological park has gained the nickname of “Pompeii of the East”. After exploration of that magnificent site we will go to the site that recently was identified as the most probable place of “Bethany beyond Jordan” – the place of our Lord’s baptism, also not far from the hill from where according to tradition St. Prophet Elias ascended to Heaven in a fiery chariot. The area is historically very significant and marked with many Byzantine ruins. The vicinity of the site is also closely associated with the Venerable Mary of Egypt and her cult is very prominent among local Christians. Today we will start our day with a visit to Mt. Nebo. The law-giver Moses observed the Promised Land from this mountain and this is the closest he ever got to the place where he desired to be so much.

Day 04 – Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Petra is a most intriguing Nabatean city carved in rock cliffs. This is a historical monument really “one of its kind anywhere in the world.” We will spend most of the day exploring ancient ruins and temples, fortifications, theaters and other buildings carved in the rock. Prior to Petra, earlier in the morning, we will visit sister site also known as Little Petra, located just some miles away from its more famous “neighbor”.
For o/n and Dinner we will remain in Petra.

Day 05 - Thursday, May 16, 2013

This morning we will depart from Petra back to Amman. Along the way, we will stop to see Shobak Castle which was originally called Krak de Montreal o Mons Regalis, and was the first Crusader outpost beyond the Jordan River. It was built by King Baldwin I of Jerusalem to guard the road from Egypt to Damascus. It resisted many sieges, but in 1189, it fell to Saladin's troops. The towers and walls are well preserved and decorated with carved inscriptions dating from 14th century. From Shobak we will continue to the deserted Byzantine camp-settlement of Um Rassas, with the remains of an important monastic complex where probably the only surviving column of some ascetic (stylite) still stands. Then we will visit Madaba – a little village housing Byzantine Churches with very important mosaics, among them, one depicting the map of the Holy Land and Mukawir – site of Herod’s palace, where the sorrowful events of the end days of St. John the Baptist most likely took place. This will be our last stop before our transfer to border with Israel.

Day 06 - Friday, May 17, 2013

This day we will explore the sites that are associated with events that lead to the redeeming Passion of our Savior, we will follow the footsteps of Christ on His way to Golgotha. We’ll start our journey in the Garden of Gethsemane, the beginning point of Christ’s Passions. Then we continue to St. Stephan’s Gate and will enter the Old City. Our first visit will be to the Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos built over the house where the Theotokos lived with her righteous parents Joachim and Anna, then to a sheep’s pool, known from the Gospel story as Bethesda. Then we will continue on Via Dolorosa – the path Christ walked carrying His cross to Golgotha. We will make several stops along the way to visit churches and places marked by Holy Tradition as being related to the last walk of Christ to save all men from death. We will end our journey in the Holy Sepulcher – a Medieval Cathedral built atop of a Byzantine basilica that St. Helen had built to house the places of our Lord’s Saving Passion and Crucifixion – Golgotha, the stone of anointing, the Tomb of our Lord – place of Lord’s Resurrection, and several adjacent places depicted in the description of the Lord’s Saving Passion.

Day 07 - Saturday, May 18, 2013

After breakfast we will continue the exploration of the city by visiting Mt. Zion – to venerate the tomb of the righteous King David, the chapel marking the place of the Mystical Supper, and the Basilica of our Lady’s Dormition. From here we will proceed to the Monastery of our Lord’s Ascension on Mt. of Olives, the “tombs of the prophets” (one of the first places in Jerusalem supposedly utilized by Christians for worship), and the Church of “Our Father” – a small and modern house of worship built over a system of tunnels and caves where according to tradition our Lord taught His disciples the prefect prayer to His Heavenly Father. Our next stop will be the site known as “Dominus Flevit” or Lord wept. From here the most beautiful panorama of the Holy City unfolds before your eyes and it is here that our Savior wept over the city and its inhabitants that so terrifyingly rejected their salvation. We will end up our day in the Convent of St. Mary Magdalene – a Russian Imperial foundation. Here we will Vigil service and pray over the relics of its founder – the martyr Duchess Elizabeth..

Day 08 - Sunday, May 19, 2013

With Our Lord’s will, we will start our day with Matins and Divine Liturgy in the church of the Holy Sepulcher. I want to forewarn all pilgrims that we would have to be in the church of the Holy Sepulcher between 11:30pm and 3am (duration of the entire Midnight office) as the gates will be closed during that entire time. After the Midnight service we will return to the hotel. Today we will explore historical sites between Jerusalem and historical Jaffa, and along the Sea Plain. Our First stop will be at Emmaus Nikopolis, place of the apparition of the Risen Lord to his disciples. From here we will proceed to Lod to venerate the shrine of St. Great Martyr George and then onto Jaffa, now suburb of Tel Aviv, but once a historical city, closely linked to the mission of the apostles; the tomb of the righteous Tabitha is located in the vicinity of the old city.

Day 09 - Monday, May 20, 2013

Today we will visit Holy Sites located between Jerusalem and Jericho. We will start in Bethany, one of the sites not too far from Jerusalem that Lord loved to visit because his friends Mary, Martha and their brother Lazarus lived there. Here we will visit Tomb of Lazarus and Russian Ecclesiastical school for Palestinian Children. From Bethany we will proceed to an interesting Museum located on the site of an ancient Inn that is known in a tradition as an inn of a Good Samaritan. From here we will continue our travel to Jericho where we will visit two ecclesiastical compounds associated with the traditional sites of the famous Zacchaeus’s tree and the remains of the house (or rather remains of the Byzantine Monastery built on the site) of the repented tax collector. At the end of the day we will visit the Monastery of St. Gerasimos of Jordan, one of the oldest in the Palestinian Desert.

Day 10 - Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Today we will begin by attending early Liturgy at the Basilica of Nativity in Bethlehem, founded on the place of the birth of our Savior. After service and some light nourishment, we will continue to venture deep into Judean desert to venerate the most prominent fathers and spiritual leaders of Palestinian Monasticism – St. Sabba the Sanctified and Venerable Theodosios the Sanctified. The Lavra of St. Sabba is open for males only, so we have to warn our female pilgrims that they will be able to observe the monastery only from a “bird’s eye view” – from an observation deck in an ancient defense tower nearby.
For Lunch we will return back to Bethlehem and will continue with an exploration of a Greek Monastery on Shepherd’s Field, which is marking traditional spot of the apparition of Angels that brought good news about the Birth of Messiah to simple, but pious shepherds.

Day 11 - Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Today we will continue the exploration of the holy sites of Jerusalem. We will visit Monastery of the Cross, mighty ancient foundation built to mark a spot where the life-giving tree of the wood of the cross once grew and Museum of Israel that house the model of the Ancient city of Jerusalem and famous Scrolls of Qumran. In the afternoon we will transfer to Galilee. Time and political situation permitting we will stop to see the Jacob’s Well in Nablus. From here we will proceed to Tiberias for dinner and overnight.

Day 12 - Thursday, May 23, 2013

Our first day in Galilee will begin by exploring the vicinity of “sea” of Galilee. We plan to visit a number of sites around the lake. To cover the territory in one day is impossible, but some of the most important sites are definitely on the list: we will visit Capernaum, where Jesus made his home during the years of His earthly ministry; the Mount of Beatitudes where Our Lord taught His followers the New Testament “ten commandments” Tabgha, with church of multiplication of loaves and fishes; and Kursi, the place where Lord healed the Gadarine demoniacs and where the herd of swine rushed into the sea and drowned.

Day 13 – Friday, May 24, 2013

Our last day in the Holy Land we will start in the town of Nazareth, where the good news to the world were announced by Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary and where Christ spent his young years with His Most-Holy Mother and the righteous Joseph. There are two important churches in town that share the glory and importance of the event. One is an Orthodox Church built over a well with a spring where according to local tradition the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary. Another shrine is the much larger Catholic foundation that is built over the remains of the house of the carpenter Joseph. Later this morning we will stop in the little town of Cana – the place of the first miracle of our Lord (of turning water into wine) that announced the beginning of His service to the world. In the afternoon we will continue to Mt. Tabor, the place of the Lord’s glorious and wondrous Transfiguration. From here we will proceed back to Nazareth for dinner. After dinner we will transfer to the airport for departure back to the US.

Day 14 – Saturday, May 25, 2013

Departure from Tel Aviv for the US, arriving to New York.