Dormition Abbey. “Mount Zion, true pole of the earth, the Great King’s city!” (Ps 48:3). Mount Zion was part of the walled upper city in ancient times, but today is just outside of the Old City walls …More
Dormition Abbey.
“Mount Zion, true pole of the earth, the Great King’s city!” (Ps 48:3). Mount Zion was part of the walled upper city in ancient times, but today is just outside of the Old City walls, close to the Zion Gate. The hill is dominated by the church of the Dormition, where Our Lady was assumed into heaven (celebrated on 15 August). Right next door is the place venerated as the tomb of King David, and almost directly above it is the Cenacle – the Upper Room where Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples. In the early 5th century, Byzantine Christians built there the great basilica of Hagia Sion (Holy Zion) here, but it was destroyed by the Muslim invaders in 614. In the 12th century, the crusaders built an even greater church called Santa Maria in Monte Sion (Our Lady of Mount Zion), but it too was destroyed in 1187. The site remained abandoned until the late 19th century, when at the initiative of German Kaiser Wilhelm II the present basilica was built and inaugurated in 1910. It is currently a Benedictine abbey, and a special place of Marian pilgrimages.
Source: Lawrence OP on Flickr
“Mount Zion, true pole of the earth, the Great King’s city!” (Ps 48:3). Mount Zion was part of the walled upper city in ancient times, but today is just outside of the Old City walls, close to the Zion Gate. The hill is dominated by the church of the Dormition, where Our Lady was assumed into heaven (celebrated on 15 August). Right next door is the place venerated as the tomb of King David, and almost directly above it is the Cenacle – the Upper Room where Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples. In the early 5th century, Byzantine Christians built there the great basilica of Hagia Sion (Holy Zion) here, but it was destroyed by the Muslim invaders in 614. In the 12th century, the crusaders built an even greater church called Santa Maria in Monte Sion (Our Lady of Mount Zion), but it too was destroyed in 1187. The site remained abandoned until the late 19th century, when at the initiative of German Kaiser Wilhelm II the present basilica was built and inaugurated in 1910. It is currently a Benedictine abbey, and a special place of Marian pilgrimages.
Source: Lawrence OP on Flickr