| St. Chrisostomo and Monastero de la Pays. 17.5 x 26 cms. Plates 197 and 198. From Cornelis de Bruyn's "A Voyage to the Levant". London 1702. ".......It is pretty large and surrounded with a good wall, some of its apartments are after the modern fashion, having lately been rebuilt after a fire which consumed a great part of the structure. The Church, which is as it were divided into two parts, is 48 foot long and 28 foot wide. On the top of these parts there is a little dome a great image of Jesus Christ painted at half length, and several other figures round about it, but are almost all defaced. Eight pillars fastened to the wall support this dome. The altar is adorned with a great deal of guilt branch work which was not done above five years ago. In this church is buried a Princess, who it is said formerly built that structure, whose ruins are seen on the top of the mountain. There are also two slaves buried, one on her right, and the other on the left side. There are 14 steps to go to the top of this church where there is a Grott, in which it is said the Turks formerly found a great coffer of Gold. There is also a small chapel seen in this monastery, but it is quite ruined. The place which serves for the kitchen is 36 foot long and 18 foot wide. The superiority is exercised there by a Father Guardian who has under him three priests and eleven monks. These religious have within the inclosure of the monastery a small garden in which there are some orange trees.........." "....... we must not forget to mention here on what occasion the monastery was built. The Princess whom we have said to be buried there did live in the building which is on the top of the hill, to the end she might be the better secured by the Violence of the Templars, who in those days endeavoured to make the themselves Masters every where. Besides this trouble she had likewise the misfortune of being afflicted with a sort of an ulcer or scab. A little dog whom she loved passionately, and who never left her, was infected with this evil; but as soon as he found himself seized with it, he went down the hill every day and was absent an hour or two before he returned, and as he continued to do this he mended visibly. Notice was taken of it, and it was found that this dog bathed himself in a fountain not far from thence. The Princess feeling the effect which this had on her little dog, resolved to make trial of it for herself, which succeeded so well, that in a few days she was cured of her evil, and recovered her former health. And to show her gratitude to God she caused this Monastery to be built for the Greek monks, and gave it the name of St. Chrysostom, under whose protection she put the same. It has retained the name to this present, and the same virtue is still attributed to this Fountain, where several persons come daily to bath themselves, and are cured, as is pretended. Another prospect of this Monastery is to be seen as it was taken from a high hill in plate 197........" ".........The next morning we took our way to the Monastery of Peace ( which is said to be built by the Templars this is for the most part very difficult to travel, being across the mountain, having past the mountain and coming near the Monastery it appears pleasantly situated in a wood surrounded with orange, olive, palm and other fruit trees, above which tops a very high cypress. This pleasant object obliged me to sit down and take a draught of it on paper, as is seen in plate 198......" Price: CyP 300 |
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