A 12th Century Jesus

After the not-very-strenuous uphill hike, we got in the bus at the end and headed down to an abandoned monastery.  Aner picked up the key from the general store.  The bus wound down a road to the monastery.

I do not have the name of the monastery, but will get it and add it in another post.  Aner told the story that the monastery was hated by the locals, as the monks took it on themselves to "train" the young teenage girls of the area.  Many children were born that way, and if it was a boy, he became a monk.

One of the locals tried to report it to the authorities, but the monks tricked him and tried to have him killed.  Irate, he burned the monastery, and it was abandoned.  The large chapel was not burned, and so it is used for services to this very day.  

The only really interesting part of the church is the large cross inside that hangs above the front of the altar.  It is a 12th Century cross, and so the feet of Jesus are side by side, with one nail in each (for two total, in case you aren't paying attention).  After the 12th Century, Jesus is depicted on the cross with one foot in front of the other, and thus one nail.

The most remarkable aspect of this is that this antiquity is in this small church.  It should be in a major museum somewhere, protected from the elements and available to many people.  Wild stuff.

There is also, in one of the chapel ceilings, some Romanesque period art.  It's not under glass or anything, just out there for time to take its toll.

Afterwards, we went to return the key.  The place is an old-time general store that sells hardware, knick-knacks and bric-a-brac, wine, some groceries, pet food, and many other things.  It is a cross between the Variety Store and Village Hardware back home, although not as big.

The most important thing it sold is cold beer.  The beers are pony sized, so I had two.  Each beer only cost 1.20 Euros.  Jim bought the first round, but I had enough change in my pocket to buy my second beer.  After around eight miles of hiking, I earned them both!