This unique cave—’Cave of the Mad’—is also known as the Grotto of St. Anthony. It is located right next to the entrance to Der Mar Antonias Qozhaya, the largest hermitage in the Qadisha Valley, which has been around since the 12th century. It’s not far from Bcharre, the birthplace of Khalil Gibran.
It was where the allegedly insane and/or possessed were restrained so that St. Anthony might have the opportunity to “fix” them.
How’d I End Up There?
I’d been hitchhiking (sort of) in order to find a hermit named Dario and ended up taking an unofficial taxi with a man named Joseph. Before we went there, we visited this monastery and its unique grotto. I was confused and thought the hermit lived in the cave in which these chains were housed. It was very hard to climb up on the slippery bolders, so I gave up.
Turns out, that wasn’t where the hermit lived. It was somewhere entirely different. That, however, is a story for another time. It was definitely a random moment in time that was definitely off the beaten path. It is the final story in my book, Magic Carpet Seduction.
Who won the photo guessing game?
When originally posted, this was a game and readers guessed. The winner was Aaron of Aaron’s Worldwide Adventures. His guess was “a cave, prison, dungeon,” which comes closest to answering “what” is in the photo.