According to Byzantine tradition from the beginning of the 5th century, after Jesus ascended to heaven his mother, Mary remained living in Jerusalem with the apostle John who guards her as a son. One day, an angel appears in front of her and informs her that within three days, she will end her life. In these three days all the apostles of Jesus gathered quickly at Jerusalem to be with her. At the end of the day, she didn't die, but went into a coma forever. When Mary falls asleep, Jesus gathers her soul, and the apostles have nothing more than the body. The apostles take the body to the burial ground. Tradition says the grave is inside the church. Therefore, the tomb inside the church is empty.

Church Highlights

You can see this church from a distance because of its width and location on the top of Mount Zion. Adjacent to it is a bell tower with a clock, that if you look closely resembles a German soldier with a helmet and a mustache!

Entering the church and you will notice big mosaic on the wall of Mary holding baby Jesus who is holding a book. Inside the book it is written “I am the light” and below them the prophets who received the Christianity.

The floor has a nice mosaic with three circles, which in each of these you will find the word «Hagia» in Greece which means «Holy». The citation "Holy Holy Holy" comes from the prophet Isaiah and proves that God is a trinity. From this comes rays of gospel and light. Around the horns are the names of four prophets - Hezekiah, Jeremiah, Isaiah and Daniel. In Judaism, Daniel was excluded from the division of the prophets. In Christianity he is regarded as one of the four major prophets because he prophesied the end of the world. In the following circle we see the symbols of the four evangelists, such as an eagle with wings that symbolize John and a lion with wings that symbolize Marcus. Outside the circle are the 12 names of the apostles.

Finally, in the last circle, you see the 12 zodiacal signs. It stands here as a universal symbol for the whole universe.

Around the main hall you will find 6 chapels. In one of these, you see a marble statue of a bearded man holding a plaque. This is a site maintained by Benedictine monks, and the statue is from St. Benedict, the Order's founder in the sixth century in Italy. On the one hand he salutes peace and on the other hand keeps the rules of order.

Since the church is associated with the Virgin Mary, the feminine and maternal pattern is repeated here. At the entrance to the church you will see a large pine cone statue. The pinecone symbolizes fertility in the Christian art world and so the women who come and want to get pregnant touch the statue and ask that their wish be fulfilled soon.

At the bottom lies the crypt, you will find a statue of Marie asleep. Above, you will notice a beautiful mosaic with strong feminine figures of the Bible and the New Testament: Eve, Esther, Ruth, Judith, Yael and Miriam, the sister of Moses. Their position above Miriam places emphasis on the strength of each individual and as women.

History

The name of the church is taken from the word «Dormitio» which is «The Coma» in Latin, due to its great importance for Mary who fell into the eternal coma. The church, also called «Hagya Mary Sion Abbey», is part of a community of Benedictine monks in Germany. Its nickname was «the Mother of all the Churches», because according to tradition, the church is both on the place where the cenacle (Jesus last supper) took place. Today, the place is linked to a church close by. It also resembles the site of Pentecost, where the apostles of Jesus received the inheritance of Jesus in all the tongues of the Holy Spirit. The church as we see it was built in the 19th century after the German emperor Wilhelm II visited Jerusalem and received the area as a gift from the Ottoman ruler Abdul Hamid II. It sits atop an old Byzantine church and a Crusader church that has been destroyed throughout history.

Basic Information

Address: Mount Zion

Map

Christian Order: Catholic |German Benedictine.

Construction date: 1910.

Arrival options

Accessibility:

The wheelchair can only be used in the first main level. There's no way to get downstairs to see the Crypt room in a wheelchair.

Telephone number: 02-5655330.

Toilet: available with payment. There is also a beautiful cafeteria that supply German food, but above all an atmosphere of Europe.

Nearby Activities

The old town is just 5 minutes walking distance, so you should not miss it. You can also walk around and see Oscar Schindler's grave nearby. The old city is just 5 minuets walking away, so you should not miss it out. Enter the old town via the Zion gate, turn right to the Jewish quarter or left to the Armenian quarter.

My experience

I love this church because it has a unique architecture and a feminine theme. Many women light candles in the crypt below as they pray and chant. The round structure of the main hall creates wonderful acoustics; therefore, concerts are held there from time to time. After enjoying this special church, I recommend drinking a good coffee and trying German food before returning home from Europe to Israel. After the visit treat yourself with a special Arabic sweet date bread by the person selling it on the way to Jerusalem Old City Zion Gate