The small chapel next to the entrance is dedicated to the Holy Family (Joseph, Mary, and the boy Jesus). According to the New Testament, they left for Egypt escaping from the wrath of Herod, who ordered the killing of infants in Bethlehem, after receiving the news of the birth of the king of Judea (Jesus). This place is not a part of the way from Bethlehem to Egypt. But the identification of this place as a shelter of the Holy Family strengthens the gospel. The main route from Galilee to Jerusalem passed along the Jordan Valley. It is quite possible that the holy family left Jerusalem, stopped in this cave on their way to Nazareth - the home city of Josef. At this place the archangel Gabriel told Joseph that they should go to the land of Egypt instead of Nazareth.
Traveling to the place of baptism on the Jordan River and the ancient monastery of Deir Hijleh takes only an hour and a half. This one and a half hours bring us to a fantastic story. The Jordan River is associated primarily with the baptism of Jesus Christ from John the Baptist. The place where these events took place is called in Arabic Qasr El Yahud - the court of the Jew. The centuries-old tradition of baptism was renewed after the signing of a peace treaty between Jordan and Israel. The border between the countries runs along the river, and only a few meters are divided between them. Not far from the place of baptism is one of the oldest monasteries on the Dead Sea - the monastery of St. Gerasimus. It was one of the first monasteries of Koinonia. The walls of the monastery remember the battles of Muslims and crusaders. The skulls of monks pretend to be the bones of the martyrs of the Persian conquest. A journey of ten kilometers takes us on a tour of twenty centuries. Do not miss this adventure on the Dead Sea.
Don't be afraid to get lost in new places!
