The Trappist Monastery of Latrun

Trappists are a Roman Catholic Religious Order who follows the Rule of St. Benedict (480-547 AD). Although this order has its origin in France in the 12th century, it began as a reform movement with more strict observations from 1664. Today, there are 89 monasteries for monks with 3,050 monks and 56 monasteries for nuns with 1,793 nuns in the world for Trappists. They are sometimes called the 'white monks', due to their dress code. In Israel they came during 1890 from France, got expelled at the period of WWI and finally returned in 1926. Besides prayer and Bible study the monks earn their livelihood by the sweat of their brow. They consider manual labour and intellectual labour with equal dignity. As a result they till the soil, raise grains, garden vegetables, tend vineyards, olive grooves and fruit orchards. They also give importance to arts and crafts with experts as tinsmiths, stone masons, winemakers and olive oil pressers among them. There is also a sales-counter which sells the famous wine and olive oil products of the monastery. The Trappists monks keep a strict vow of silence, except for those who sell wine and olive oil to visitors. I am just quoting their daily routine as described in their brochure.

A Monk's Day

3.00 am: Rise

3.15: Group Prayer

4.00: Personal prayer and reading

5.00: Group prayer and Eucharist (Holy Mass)

7.00 to 10.00: Work

11.40: Group Prayer

12.00: Lunch/Rest/Reading or Personal prayer

2.15 pm: Group prayer/Work or Reading/Personal prayer

5.00: Group prayer/Meditation

5.45: Supper/Reading/Personal prayer

7.10: Abbot's Conference

7.25: Compline (Group night prayer)

8.00: Retire

See the monks in 2nd photograph...

The city of Emmaus Nicopolis

This historical site is believed to be the Biblical Emmaus, mentioned in Luke 24:13. A place outside Jerusalem, where Cleopas and another disciple met the risen Christ. It is mentioned for the first time in 166-165 B.C., when Judas Maccabeus defeated there the army of Gorgias (I Macc 3: 40; 4:25). Described also several times by the first century Jewish Historian, Josephus. At least 5 more candidates are suggested for the Biblical Emmaus. However, testimonies from church fathers like Eusebius and Jerome (4th cent AD) and the archaelogical remains of a Christian basilica from the 3rd century, another basilica from the 6th century and a 12th century Crusader church discovered here, support the historical and traditional claims for this site. Emmaus was a Roman city from the 3rd century until the Arab conquest in 639 and then known as Nicopolis. After the Muslim conquest in the 7th century, Emmaus was known as "Amwas" or "Imwas. Imwas was captured by the Israel Defence Forces during the six-day-war on June 7, 1967 and the village was later converted into a park. Today the holy place of Emmaus is under the control of Carmelites. Archaeological excavations reveal remains of the crusader and Byzantine churches once stood here and Jewish burial caves from 1st century AD. The mosaics discovered from these ancient churches are displayed in the Emmaus museum. One can also see ossuaries (burial box) from first century AD in the museum. Near the museum there is a small yet a beautiful modern church which I guess belongs to the Greek Orthodox community.