Page:The travels of Macarius, Patriarch of Antioch - Volume I.djvu/35

Rh We performed mass in a church they have, in the name of the Five Moons or Lights, Eugenius and his Companions, on Sunday, the thirteenth after Pentecost. There is a very small cave under the altar of this church. We staid with these people eight days; and on the eve of the Feast of the Nativity of our Lady, the eighth of Iloul, we departed with an escort of Turkomans, whom they hired to go with us, from that evening till the afternoon of the next day, a distance of twenty hours. It was a long and frightful stage, over a land burnt up with drought; in which we suffered, from the greatness of the heat and from thirst, sufficient to perish both ourselves and our beasts. We had indeed given ourselves up to despair; but, by the favour of the Creator, (blessed be his name!) and the intercession of the Virgin his Mother, we arrived in the afternoon at a village of the Turkomans, called Kirwan. We were very near yielding up our souls; and our cattle in particular were at the extremity of death: but they immediately conducted us all together to the water, and our breath returned to us. For sake of the abundant water in this town, we made a halt with them on Friday. In the evening we proceeded with them over dreadful roads, and the next day arrived at Kara Yenar. From Chifta Khan we had passed along the Imperial Road to Constantinople, whither it leads through Khan Mohammed Pasha Yenghi Khan; and from this place through Erekli and Kara Yenar: whence we set out before midnight, and came to Esmil in the forenoon.

 

we again started in the evening; and before noon on Sunday, the fourteenth after Pentecost, and the eleventh day of the month Iloul, we arrived at Ikonieh (Iconium); where we attended the Feast of the Cross, in a church belonging to our Greek Community, and having a roof of wood. Afterwards we went to visit the Convent of Saint Chariton, whose Festival is on the twenty-sixth of Iloul. The convent is at a short distance of two hours from the city. The whole edifice, and also its churches and repositories, are of quarry-stone, from the mountain. The principal church is exceeding large and lofty, built also with its temples of quarry-stone. Behind the holy table is a cave, to which you descend by steps, where the Saint devoted himself to the worship of God; and wherein is shewn you a long stone, in the shape of a pillow, which they informed us was his pillow. In this church is a Tomb, on which is written