Holiness is the first feeling that comes over the visitor to the area surrounding the eastern bank of the Jordan River, not only in the Kharar Valley where Jesus Christ was baptized, but also in all the plains, mountains and natural terrain of the place, in addition to the scent of history in every part of this geography.

Holy in Jordan.

The region, which is mentioned frequently in the Bible, is considered a haven for monks, hermits, and saints, and there is abundant evidence of the existence of monasteries there and the passage and residence of saints there, such as John the Baptist and Mary of Egypt.

Monasteries have spread in the region since ancient times.

The first monastery was founded in Wadi Al-Kharrar in 500 AD, in honor of the ascension of the Prophet Elijah. The late scholar, Father Michel Becher, a Franciscan archaeologist and mosaicist, was able to find traces of the monasteries in 1995 near the spring of Wadi Al-Kharrar, which is located on the main route for pilgrims that connects Palestine with Jordan.

Pilgrims coming to the region will not only visit the site of the baptism of Christ, but they will also see the remains of hermit caves and the ruins of churches that indicate the history of the place and its cultural value. This means that the pilgrimage journey settles in one of the most sacred parts of the earth.

The monasteries receive pilgrims and provide them with the opportunity to learn about Christian monastic life, given that Jesus Christ was the first monk when he paved the path to salvation and life. The tourist who visits the bathhouse and wants to live a spiritual experience in the monasteries spread there can achieve this through coordination with the spiritual leadership of the monasteries, reservations, and going through... Experience asceticism and learn about the lives of monks.

The bathtub is home to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchal Monastery of Divine Apparition, which was founded in 2005. The spiritual head of this monastery is Bishop Vindictos. The monastery has many rooms for visitors and tourists to stay. But visiting the monastery is subject to a special regime in terms of meals, prayers, and the practice of all the spiritual rituals that monks live in monasteries. The visitor also donates a small amount of money to the monastery.

John the Baptist is the most famous monk who lived in the region, in addition to Saint Mary of Egypt, who lived as a hermit for 47 years, which she spent in prayer and fasting. Before her death, the monk Zosimus met her, prayed with her, and offered her the Holy Eucharist.

The other monastery is the Monastery of the Incarnate Word, affiliated with the Latin Church. It includes monks in part of it, and nuns in the other part. The monastery is open for residence in coordination with priests and monks. The Russian Pilgrim’s House is also considered a refuge and a monastery and receives pilgrims and provides them with meals for a small financial cost.

The residence and spiritual journey are similar in monasteries, and their basic essence is asceticism, meditation, and spiritual exercise through participating in prayers or requesting the establishment of the Divine Mass and eating the divine sacrifice, in addition to supplication prayers during the night.

Everyone who experiences monastery life and learns about the life of the monks becomes deeply convinced that they abandoned the pleasures of life to be with God. Thus, the pilgrimage to the baptism is completed with a special blessing when visiting monasteries or staying in them on the same path drawn by Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.