Pilgrimage to Dzhvari: A Woman's Journey of Spiriual Awakening - Tapa dura

Pilgrimage to Dzhvari is set in the last days of the Communist regime when people from all levels of Soviet society are searching for ways to reconnect with their memories of goodness and truth. As they find their way back into the churches, they discover that more than the physical structure of the buildings needs restoration. The very fabric of the Christian faith his been torn.
A writer leaves her work in Moscow and sets out to visit the few remaining monasteries in the Georgian Caucasus. She and her teenage son yearn to deepen their understanding of the mystical teachings of the Eastern Orthodox Church. In particular, they seek instruction in the Prayer of the Heart, the constant internal repetition of the words, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." For centuries this practice - known in the West as the "Jesus Prayer" - has been one of the principal disciplines of monks, priests, and elders of the Eastern rite.
The path Veronica and her son have chosen is not an easy one, but as they learn to accept and embrace the people they encounter and the difficult conditions inherent in every situation, they realize that knowledge of God can come to anyone who serves with enough patience and love, that the sacred tradition has not been lost, and that saints can wear the most inscrutable disguises.
This simple tale of devotion traces the rekindling of faith and search for enlightenment now blossoming throughout the former Soviet Union. There is a purity and clarity about it reminiscent of that earlier spiritual classic, The Way of a Pilgrim. But this journey is undertaken by a woman at the end of the twentieth century. The eloquence and power of Valeria Alfeyeva's description of the eternal quest for the divine on earth will not easily be forgotten.

o Dzhvari is set in the last days of the Communist regime when people from all levels of Soviet society are searching for ways to reconnect with their memories of goodness and truth. A writer leaves her work in Moscow and with her teenage son sets out to visit the few remaining monasteries in the Georgian Caucasus in order to discover the mystical teachings of the Eastern Orthodox Church. In particular, they seek instruction in the Prayer of the Heart, the constant internal repetition of the words, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." For centuries this practice -- known in the West as the "Jesus Prayer" -- has been one of the principal disciplines of monks, priests, and elders of the Eastern rite.

There is a purity and clarity about this simple tale of devotion that is reminiscent of that earlier spiritual classic The Way of a Pilgrim. But this journey is undertaken by a woman at the end of the twentieth century. The eloquence and power of Vale