The Monastery of the Cross

 

Here are a few pictures from our morning at the Monastery of the Cross, which is about a five-minute walk from our house. We thought since we see the outside of the building almost every day, we should go in and check it out. Once inside, we found ourselves walking through a series of peaceful courtyards, stairways, balconies and gardens. Aside from the parrots whose chatter filled the entryway (and which Alexander and Benjamin were enthralled by), the monastery was very quiet, as there were only 4 other people touring the site with us. While this sprawling complex has been rebuilt many times, the original structure was built in the 11th century. Some believe that the Monastery of the Cross was built on the site where the tree used to make Jesus's cross once grew.