Deir Mar Musa Al-Habashi Monastery
Deir Mar Musa Al-Habashi Monastery¹: Christianity Past or Future?
The Mar Musa Monastery is located between Damascus and Homs, in the spurs of the Qalamoun Mountains. The abbot of the monastery, Father Paolo, believes that the future of the Christian Church is in ecumenism and urges all Christians to unite, setting aside their differences. This is the story of a revived Jacobean monastery founded in the sixth century by Moses The Abyssinian, a man of tragic destiny².
The monastery has been restored by the work of an international monastic community, with nationals from France, Italy, Switzerland, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon.
At the first look, the monastic community lives like the monks of the Middle Ages, subsistence farming and spending time in prayer. At the same time, the ancient way of life neighbors with computers, solar panels and a ropeway. There are unique frescoes belonging to the Jacobite trend of Christianity in the monastery’s temple. They date back to the 11th and 12th centuries. The residents of the monastery, along with archaeological restorers from Italy who come here annually, are directly involved in the restoration of the temple and its frescoes.
LOCATIONS:
80 km from Damascus, in a rocky gorge above a drying stream is the Catholic monastery of Mar Musa Al-Habashi of St. Moses The Abyssinian.
¹ The monastery of St. Moses of Abyssinian is better known in the world in Arabic pronunciation
² St. Moses of Abyssinian, according to tradition, was the black son of the king of Ethiopia, refused to accept the crown and left the country. After wandering for long periods in Egypt and the Holy Land, he returned to Syria and lived as a monk not far from where the monastery now stands. He became a saint in the Christian world after his death from the hands of Roman soldiers.
VIDEO RECORDINGS IN ARCHIVE:
Recorded interview with Father Paolo, who disappeared in July 2013 and was reportedly executed by jihadists while attempting to rescue clergy from captivity. Recorded conversations with the monastery’s residents in their international composition, and footage of domestic and religious scenes recorded during their stay at the monastery.