St. Thekla Monastery

The Church of Saint Thekla in the Old City of Jerusalem is a Greek Orthodox holy site dedicated to the Holy First Martyr and Apostle Among Women Saint Thekla of Iconium. The church is located within the Greek Patriarchate compound on Greek Patriarchate Street. Saint Thekla of Iconium was one of the first evangelists, venerated in both the Catholic and Orthodox churches. According to tradition, she was born to a wealthy pagan family in Iconium, located in modern-day Turkey. One day, she heard the preaching of Saint Paul and was so moved by his speaking that she decided to convert to Christianity and adopt a life of chastity, breaking off her engagement to be married. This enraged her family and fiancé, who convinced the local governor to arrest Saint Paul. This did not discourage Saint Thekla, who bribed the guards of the jail in order to continue to meet with Saint Paul and hear his sermons. Even when Saint Paul was eventually sentenced to exile, she would not back down from her convictions and was herself sentenced to be burned to death. However, when the moment of her execution came, she made the sign of the Cross over the flames and was saved from the fire and managed to escape the city. She continued to travel with Saint Paul and spread the gospel of Christ, encouraging others to adopt Christianity. Eventually, she retired to a cave near the town of Maaloula in Syria, performing miracles of healing and preaching the word of God to the local inhabitants. At the age of 90, Saint Thekla was being pursued by pagan sorcerers. She prayed to Jesus for help and at that moment the rocks of the cave opened allowing her to enter and then closed behind her. It was at this time that her soul was offered up to God. For her commitment to spreading Christianity, she is known in the Orthodox church as ‘Equal-to-theApostles.’ The Church of Saint Thekla in Jerusalem’s Old City, is the place in which the Greek Orthodox community commemorates the life of Saint Thekla. Upon entering the church, worshippers are greeted with exquisite icons depicting the saint and ornate golden iconostasis separating the alter from the main body of the church. The Church is generally only open during scheduled Divine Liturgy. In order to visit the Church at other times, arrangements can be made by contacting the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate.