Dormition Abbey in Jerusalem

Dormition Abbey in Jerusalem

Jerusalem is known for its famous places of both religious and historical importance. Dormition Abbey in Jerusalem is another place of both religious and historical importance.

The Catholic theologists, Roman Catholic Church and Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, all believe Mount Zion to be the place where Virgin Mary, slept for the last time before she and her soul were both taken to Heaven. Therefore, this place is hold as highly sacred. On the top of this cliff was the Dormition Abbey in Jerusalem erected. At the basement of the Abbey you would find the statue of Virgin Mary, sleeping.

Dormition Abbey in Jerusalem is a church which is more or less designed like a fortress with a conical dome. This lies just outside the Zion Gate. It is a massive structure and has corner towers and a very high, domed bell tower. It was dedicated by the German Benedictines in the year 1910. There were remains of the 4th century Byzantine Church Hagia Sion discovered when the architect and buildings manager of the church Archiocese of Cologne Heinrich Renard started investigating the site and the church was built over that. The Cathedral of Aix-la-Chapelle served as the model for the church. When you look upward from the dome of Mary’s shrine then you will see the mosaic of Christ surrounded by all the women mentioned in the Bible, namely Eve, Sarah, Miriam, Esther, Yael and Judith. Dormition Abbey in Jerusalem is a circular building and in various corners of it you will find altars and a choir. You will find that there are two spiral staircases leading to the crypt, organ-loft and the gallery. From the gallery you can access two of the church’s four towers. The bell tower of the church is a bit far away and is not directly accessible from the church. This is done to show respect to Nebi Da'ud , the sacred place for the Muslims, which is nearby, so that the shadow of the bell tower do not touch it.

Dormition Abbey in Jerusalem was built when Kaiser Wilhelm II brought this piece of land on Mount Zion in 1898. At that time he was on a tour of Jerusalem and he paid 120,000 German Goldmark to Sultan Abdul Hamid and after he bought it he presented the land to the German Union of Holy Land.

. The main sanctuary is graced with beautiful side altars, and a magnificent mosaic floor.
The Dormition Abbey is a massive structure, just outside the Zion Gate, and resembles a mighty fortress; it is topped by a high, domed belltower, a conical dome and corner towers.
The Dormition Abby was completed by Kaiser Wilhelm II between 1906 and 1910, on land given to him by the Turkish Sultan Chamid as a gift. The Church is based on plans by Heinrich Renard who used as a model the Carolingian cathedral of Aix-la-Chapelle.

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