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Mar Elias
About 1 km before entering Bethlehem is he silver- domed Greek monastery of Mar Elias on the saddle of a hill giving a panoramic view of he city.Even though the original Jerusalem-Bethlehem road used to pass right in front of the monastery,the visitor now has to ake a side road to he left if coming from Jerusalem,just before the red lights preceding the Bethlehem check point.The original date of the monastery is uncertain,but the building was restored by the Crusaders.The origin of the name is attributed in some traditions to Prophet Elijah who is said to have slept here.Another story holds hat a Greek Bishop of Bethlehem,Elias,was buried here in 1345.A hird version places the sepulchre of St.Elias,an Egyptian monk who became Patriarch of Jerusalem in 494,on the site.The monks who lived here upheld the virtue of labor,and have lived here since the 4th century AD as an agricultural community,cultivating olives and grapes.Today,Mar Elias is a popular site for pilgrims before making their entry o Bethlehem on the Christmas Day procession.The Patriarchs traditionally pause here to be received by the notables of the area. Near Mar Elias is a field covered with millions of small pebbles called the Field of Grey Peas.Opposite the field is the Tantur Ecumenical Institute,originally a hospice built in 1876.The Institute,which houses a large and impressive library,was established in 1964 to promote understanding between the churches.