Miracles, martyrdom and a magical setting, of small houses -the roof of one giving access to the terrace of the next-- that rise in layers like a birthday cake of pastel blue, lilac and yellow against the rocky halo of a sheer mountain backdrop, all combine to make a fairy-tale of Ma'aloula, that unfolds "once upon a time". This famous village is some 56 kilometres from Damascus, and is situated at an altitude of more than 1500 metres. Its little houses cling to the face of an enormous rock; they look suspended in mid-air.
Ma'aloula, in Aramaic, means "entrance". The portal in question refers to a legend involving Saint (Mar) Tekla, whose sanctuary nestles in a damp cave, in one of the cliffs that embrace the town. As the story goes, the weary young girl, around the year 45 A.D., journeyed here from near Antioch where her faith, encouraged in the teachings of the itinerant St. Paul, had saved her from a cruel martyrdom; she was to have been burned alive in the town square. And while her own dear lord God had sent a downpour to douse the flames, she was now disheartened and travel-worn, her way blocked by a mountain. As she kneeled in dismay, God again came to her rescue and, says the tale, split the mountain, opening a passageway in the cleft, with a soothing stream at the girl's feet.
Some 30 kilometres from Damascus, a village is spread out over a hilltop, and is surrounded by vineyards and olive groves Saydnaya:
The Monastery of the Lady of Saydnaya, The myth says: While the Byzantine emperor Justinian I Crossing Syria, he camped near Damascus when he sought fighting the Persians . When he was searching for water to drink, he came across a deer. Because of his love for hunting, he chased her until it reached a high rock. Then, she went towards the spring and he got ready to shoot it But she turned into the virgin. She indicated to him with a hand shining with light saying: “you will not kill me Justinian . . .
According to historical record the fortress-monastery of Seidnaya, beginning in the early sixth century, formed part of this chain. Yet according to legend, when Justinian paused to hunt by the cornfields. It is very important to mention that the original people of these two cities still speak the language of Jesus Christ. And you will see, some of the oldest Icons of the world, placed in these two cities churches.
