We were so surprised to find this beautiful Monastery
in the rural, desert community near Florence, Arizona
(in the middle of nowhere AZ).
The territory is flat, dusty, full of cactus plants but has been turned into a beautiful oasis by the Greek Orthodox Monks.
The visitors are welcomed and allowed to visit all 8 chapels that are dedicated to
the beloved Saints of Orthodoxy
as long as the women have a head covered and a skirt.
Lou thought he had a 'new girlfriend'.
All of the grounds are so lovely.
It is so evident that the grounds take so much work to make it all so beautiful.
I read a part of the daily routine of the Monks:
Daily life at the Monastery
After laboring through the night in vigil and prayer, the monks eat a light breakfast and rest again for about three hours before beginning their daily work at around 8:00 am. Every monk has his assigned daily task, his “obedience.” Some attend to the grounds, cleaning, sweeping pathways, trimming trees and hedges, planting, and watering.
At midday, the monks break from their labors for the common meal in the refectory. These formal meals are services presided over by a priest-monk, with opening and closing prayers and a spiritual reading taken from the lives of the saints or from a patristic text. There is no talking during the meal, but while feeding their bodies, they also feed their souls, either by listening attentively to the reading or by praying silently within.
The inside of the chapels are so ornate
and many of the items are imported from Greece.
The gold mosaic just glitters beautifully!
Our favorite is always
St. George--The Chapel
The candles on the big chandeliers ( representing the Heavenly Church)
are only lit on the major feast days.
The interior of the St. George Chapel
is perhaps my favorite.
(note St George carved into the door and the beautiful woodwork!)
There are no pews in the churches, because they normally stand during services.
(of course, they are allowed to sit when tired!)
Crosses abound - all interesting shapes.
The very large one is 'central' to the campus.
(any comments on this capture ?)
It is hard to see adequately, but this is the
Three-Bar Cross.
It is the traditional Orthodox cross, but also called the Russian cross.
The top bar had the inscription "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews"
The second bar is for the hands.
The bottom bar is the board to which Christ's feet were nailed.
The reason it is slanted is this:
The thief crucified on the right repented and confessed Christ to be the Son of God and was saved and went to Heaven;
the thief on the left went to Hell.
therefore, the right end of the bar points up to Heaven
and the left end down to Hell.
On the way back out (to the desert and the cactus)
we have a good view of the
Elijah's Chapel.
A short drive to Box Canyon
( a small amount of 4 wheel drive for us.)
Pretty territory and a fun day!
