St. George’s Monastery is one of the most interesting attractions between Jerusalem and Jericho. You must get out and stretch your legs to enjoy the wonders of nature, architecture and religion all in one package.

The Orthodox Monastery of St. George of Choziba in Wadi Qelt (Nachal Prat) began in the fourth century with a few monks who sought the desert experiences of the prophets, John the Baptist and Jesus, and settled around a cave where they believed Elijah was fed by ravens (1 Kings 17:5-6). 

It is reached by a pedestrian bridge across the Qelt River canyon, which according to Christian tradition is identified to be Psalm 23’s Valley of the Shadow, and where shepherds still watch over their flocks, just as Ezekiel 34 and John 10:1-16 describe. Wadi Qelt (Wadi Kelt)  parallels the old Roman road to Jericho, the backdrop for the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37).

Between the V and the VI centuries, the desert of Judea became a particularly strong monastic region, more than 70 monasteries and monastic hermitages were founded here, some of which are little accessible even today.