Monastery of St. John in the Wilderness is a Franciscan

Franciscan

Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....

 monastery

Monastery

Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...

 built next to a spring on a wooded slope just north of Even Sapir

Even Sapir

Even Sapir is a moshav on the outskirts of Jerusalem, Israel. It falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 654....

 and south of Jerusalem, Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

.

The monastery celebrates the childhood wanderings of John the Baptist

John the Baptist

John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...

 in this region. Born close by in Ein Karem according to tradition, Luke

Luke the Evangelist

Luke the Evangelist was an Early Christian writer whom Church Fathers such as Jerome and Eusebius said was the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles...

 tells us that John "grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel".