Monastery Valley and Gertrude Bell

Monastery Valley and Gertrude Bell album

Monastery Valley is best described by Gertrude Bell – below. But we had a delightful ramble along this very quiet and lonely spot.

It was evidently a place where monks could isolate themselves from the secular, and find the penance they sought, and maybe visions into the bargain. (Visited by A & R Sunday 26 April.)

Gertrude Bell Diary: “Then I rode away out of the curious town, half house, half cave, into a beautiful rocky valley where there was a great monastery with many churches and chapels all hollowed out of the rocks and below them a fine clear spring. In spite of my contempt for cave dwellings, these were very interesting and I felt obliged to plan one of the churches on account of the close relation it bore to the built churches. The sun was low and touched the rocks and the grass with level yellow rays, the tinkling bells of a flock of sheep filled the valley and the shepherd was the only person there besides ourselves – it was very peaceful, you could have said your prayers there if you had wished. And indeed I felt inclined to thank someone for making the world so delightful.” 11/7/1907