Monday, April 30, 2012

Baking in the monastery

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Down through the centuries a lot of bread has been baked in this oven.

The bricks of the oven's interior make a nice big dome.

Imagine how many loaves had to be baked every day to feed the many monks who sat at this refectory table.

See here and here for more views of the Monastery of the Cross in Jerusalem's Valley of the Cross.
The fortress-like monastery was built in Byzantine times, probably in the 7th century.
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The City Daily Photo group has "bakeries" for today's May 1 theme.
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.
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This room can also be a mini-tour for Our World Tuesday.
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26 comments:

  1. what a lovely oven...by chance does bread still get baked here?!

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  2. wow !

    providing a wonderful taste to time.

    thank you for this adventure. please have a good new month ahead.

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  3. so much humanity and time!



    Aloha from Honolulu
    Comfort Spiral

    > < } } (°>

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  4. is it still in operation? I bet it makes fabulous bread.

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  5. What an imaginative, amazing theme day post, Dina! Beautiful.

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  6. I love this alternative to a photo of a modern bakery!
    Dyanna
    www.berkeleytoday.wordpress.com

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  7. And as the wife of an artisanal (hobby) bread baker, I bet it was delicious too!

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  8. It just amazes me all the time that they were able to bake without a dial to tell you what temperature to set the oven at.

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  9. Shalom friends, thanks for all your enjoyable comments!

    Ann, I think the oven has been out of operation for a long time. One loaf of bread a week might be enough for the current number of monastery inhabitants, I think.

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  10. That is a huge oven! A wonderful, historic choice for the theme, Dina. Love it.

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  11. Great tour!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  12. Incredible history. My favourite bakery today! Enjoy May Dina.

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  13. It's not only the wonderful big oven but the history that goes with it.

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  14. Slightly different from our modern bakeries...

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  15. Very good pictures for theme day. I love the approach you have given to the subject.

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  16. I remember a hammam in Turkey, were they used the same fire for heating the hammam's water and to bake flat bread. Had something special. The hammam was smelling wonderfully at all times!

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  17. I like this post about the oven and the monastery; I visited Jerusalem years ago and would like to follow your blog but don't find the follow button. Leave me a note on my blog if it has just temporarily disappeared. Terra

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  18. I have had bread baked in monasteries in Greece and it is absolutely delicious! Greta post for the May theme day, Dina.

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  19. hello beautiful Dina, thanks for this awesome photo and explanation.our daily bread can have such a spiritual essence to it but literally speaking nothing can replace a freshly baked loaf of bread- it does seem to permeate the flesh and arrive to the heart of the matter.

    Just to let you know Dina how we are thinking of you over there in Jerusalem!You already ofcourse know this but in our april 1st edition of Prions en Église,our weekly sunday booklet we are given some history of the Holy Land and told that the Franciscans are the gardians of the Holy Land.It is suggested that we should visit the Holy Land to worship.
    The golden dome of Jerusalem is also described.
    Ill continue in the next post.
    from
    mirae

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  20. to continue
    from the booklet L'heure est venue donne un signe!we are presented with Psaume 121Isaie 2 1-5.A psalm that you know but just to let you know we are thinking of your oh Jerusalem!(smiles hello there)

    First it is described in french that the text reflects the topography of Jerusalem.If we take any four of the cardinal points in Israel we climb towards Jerusalem In the biblical times when the pilgrims went to Jerusalem to celebrate La Paque La pentecote and la fete de Soukkot there was some steep climbing and the pilgrims, to encourage themselves sang the psalms.It is for this reason that the jewish liturgy developped the 15 psalms of the ascent.
    This one that they gave us is lovely I'll describe it in the next comment

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  21. taken out of its literal context I love the way it runs.

    En route!Montons à la montagne du Seigneur,à la maison du Dieu de Jacob.Il nous enseigneront ce qu'il attend de nous et nous suivrons le chemin qu'il nous trace.
    and then it is written in french,it is added as a note I'll translate

    Seigneur we often walk with head bent crushed by our worries help us raise our heads to discover the light that shines at the end of the path.

    that is a beautiful song and personally this is why I pray as a catholic so that the ancient light peirces my heart through my journey today.

    yes beautiful Dina, oh Jerusalem we are looking at you with all our hearts and mind.
    thankyou for the inspiration of your beautiful blog!
    shalom

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  22. I should add oh Jerusalem we are looking at you from edmonton alberta canada but then oh Jerusalem the whole world is watching you in prayer

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  23. oh and I was so transported by my songs to Jerusalem that I forgot to mention a connection. For easter, instead of giving everyone easter chocolates my sister gave everyone a small homemade loaf of easter bread-it was a beautiful idea. I told her the very best gift on the planet.

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