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CHURCHES & MONASTERIES
CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE,
NATIVITY CHURCH & THE CENACLE
CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE
335 AD and later reconstructions
Together with the Nativity Church these two Churches are perhaps the most holy Churches in the World. This famous church is situated in the Christian Quarter of the Old city of Jerusalem. Build by Constantine the Great in 335 CE over a tomb believed to be that of Jesus. The wooden doors of the church still are original. The church has been destroyed, damaged and rebuild several times. Still it is a very old church with even more ancient remnants being part it. The church houses the places believed to be the rock of Golgotha and the place where christ body was prepared for burial (The Anointing stone). This church is one of the worlds most important churches from religious, architectural and historical point of view. Unique are for example the archeological findings in the Vartans Chapel or the beautiful mosaics like the one in the Calvary Chapel.
CHURCH OF MULTIPLICATION
First 350 AD - Tabgha
The first church was erected around 350 AD by Joseph of Tiberias and was mentioned by Egeria in 380 AD. A second Byzantine church was build in the 5th century and the church was significantly enlarged around the year 480, with floor mosaics also added at this time. In 614 AD the Persians destroyed this Byzantine church and after this destruction, the exact site of the shrine was lost for some 1,300 years. In 1888 the site was acquired by the German Catholic Society for Palestine (Palästina-Verein der Katholiken Deutschlands) which was associated with the Archdiocese of Cologne. An initial archaeological survey was conducted in 1892, with full excavations beginning in 1932. These excavations resulted in the discovery of mosaic floors from the 5th-century church, which was also found to be built on the foundations of a much smaller 4th-century chapel. The current church, inaugurated in 1984, was built to the same floor plan as the 5th-century Byzantine church, and in a simple neo-byzantine style. On 17 June 2015, an auxiliary building next to the church was significantly damaged by an arson attack committed by Jewish extremists. in what Israeli officials have labeled as "terror attack'.
FAMOUS ORTHODOX CHURCHES OF JERUSALEM
CATHEDRAL OF SAINT JAMES, JERUSALEM
12th century AD
The Cathedral of St. James lies in the Armenian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. The Cathedral still has two chapels dating to 420 AD but the main part is a 12th-century cathedral compound that houses the seat of the Armenian Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. It is a unique building and one of the few intact Crusader churches in Israel and it is decorated with the famous Armenian style tiles (blue and white). The church is dedicated to Saint James the Apostle (one of the Twelve Apostles) whose head is believed to be buried in the church but also to James the Just, the brother of Jesus who probably became the first Bishop of Jerusalem.
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CRUSADER CHURCHES
1099-1291 AD Israel
KNIGHTS HALL ACRE
13th Century - Akko/Acre
Half buried in Akko’s old city, the medieval Hospitallers complex is truly an architectural marvel. Here, in the 13th century, fighting monks treated the sick and the needy, congregated in prayers, assembled for festive events and feasts, and trained as a military order. After 800 of been buried under the Ottoman-era citadel, today, their grand halls are re-exposed, offering a first-hand view of the Crusaders in their heydays.
IBEAUTIFUL & OLD MONASTERIES
Armenian
Catholic
Georgian
Greek
See these Monasteries below
Photo by Волошин Алекс
SAINT SABBAS OR MAR SABA MONASTERY
483 AD - Jerusalem
One of the oldest inhabited monasteries in the world is the beautiful Saint Sabbas monestery founded in 483 AD bij Saint Sabbas. Saint Sabbas the Sanctified (439–532) was a cappadocian-syrian monk and priest who founded several monasteries, The saint's name is derived from Aramaic: סַבָּא Sabbāʾ meaning "old man". At the age of 27, Sabbas moved to Jerusalem and joined the monastery of Saint Euthymius, the great who later sent Sabbas to a monastery headed by Theoctistus, where Sabbas lived for three years. After the death of Euthymius (c 473), Sabbas left the monastery and moved to live in a cave nearby. Followed by other disciples he started a Laura-style monastery. A 'laura' is a type of monastery consisting of a cluster of cells or caves where each monk lives in seclusion but contains a central church and a dining room. One of the works of St Sabbas that he wrote at the monastery is the 'Typikon'. During the Persian invasion in 614 AD, the Mar Saba monastery was damaged and restored in 629 AD. Then it was raided several times during the Ottoman era and heavily damaged in an earthquake during the 19th century but finally rebuilt with the donation from Russia. Today, the Mar Saba monastery is considered one of the oldest inhabited monasteries in the world.
GREEK ORTHODOX & GREEK CATHOLIC CHURCHES
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The Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem was established in the 5th century (see link). It is headquartered in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
See below:
CHURCH OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST (JERUSALEM)
4th, 5th & 11th century - Jerusalem
The very old Church is located in the so called Muristan area in the Christian Quarter. This part of the city dates back thousands of years. It gets its name from the Persian word for “hospital” as the area was built over the ruins of the Crusader headquarters and hospital. The most visible parts of the church dates to the 11th century although the crypt dates to the Late Roman or Byzantine period (between ca. 324 and 500 CE). During the time of the Crusaders the church was used as the centre of the Knights Hospitallers (which named their order the 'Knights Hospitallers of St. John'). During the Mameluk and Ottoman periods, the church returned to the hands of the Greek Orthodox church and was renovated in 1839.
FRANCISCAN CHURCHES
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The Franciscans they first came to the Holy Land in 1217 and for 800 years they are the custodians of holy shrines, churches and they are part of daily life in Israel. St. Francis decided that the friars of his order should go out to all four corners of the world and in a short period the friars established 11 Franciscan regions, including one covering the Holy Land. Brother Elias of Cortona, one of St Francis’ earliest followers, and a small group of missionaries settled first in Israel.
See these churches below
SAINT CATHERINE'S CHURCH
5th Century / 1882 AD - Bethlehem
Saint Catherine’s Church is a Franciscan monastery located within the compound of the Church of the Nativity. It is dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria. St Catherine (the beginning of the 4th century) challenged the emperor for persecuting Christians and worshipping false gods and was executed. The present Monastery, rebuilt in 1882 with the financial help of the Emperor of Austria, incorporates the remains of the 5th century sanctuary of St. Jerome and parts of the 12th century Crusader Church. Bethlehem was in ancient times the monastic centre in Israel. The subterranean caves of Saint Gerome can be accesed from the church. In these caves Jerome lived and worked on his translation of the Bible. The caves contain the burial places of Jerome, his successor St Eusebius, and St Paula and St. Eustochium. One of the caves is identified as the Chapel of the Holy Innocents were infants were buried that were killed by King Herod in his attempt to eliminate the newborn “King of the Jews”. In 1948, the church was restored again by the famous architect Antonio Barluzzi.
Photo: Deror Avi
ST LOUIS THE KING CATHEDRAL OF THE MARONITE CHURCH
1889 AD - Haifa
The St. Louis the King Cathedral or the Maronite Church of St. Louis, is located in Haifa, It is the headquarter of the Maronite Catholic Patriarchate of Haifa and the Holy Land (Archieparchia Ptolemaidensis Maronitarum in Terra Sancta). It was built by Ibrahim Nasrallah and Salim Khoury and was dedicated to St. Louis IX of France (1214-1270). The construction of the church began 1883 and after interuptions it was completed in November 1889.
MARONITE CHURCH IN BARAM
Beginning of the 19th century - Baram
Baram has an beautiful ancient synagogue but also an old church that belongs to the eastern Catholic Maronite community dating from the beginning of the 19th century. Due to the sites proximity to the Lebanese border, the community was evacuated during the 1948 War of Independence. Present day members of the community today live in the nearby village of Gush Halav, Haifa and other Christian Galilean villages in the area. The church is used on Sundays and other Christian holidays as well as for special occasions such as weddings. The community has petitioned the courts for a return to the area, but their case has yet to be resolved.
Photo: Dr. Avishai Teicher
RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES IN ISRAEL
CHURCH OF MARY MAGDALENE
1888 - Jerusalem
The Church of Mary Magdalene is an Orthodox Christian church on the Mount of Olives and near the Garden of Getsemane in Jerusalem. A beautiful traditional "Muscovite" style was used in the onion-domed design of this Russian church. It was build in 1888 by Tsar Alexander III and his brothers to honour their mother, Empress Maria Alexandrovna of Russia. The church is part of the Convent of St. Mary Magdalene, a sisterhood established in 1936 by an English convert, and since 2007 part of the Moscow Based Russian Orthodox Church.
Photo by Moataz1997
ANGLICAN CHURCHES
ST GEORGE CATHEDRAL
1899 AD - Jerusalem
St. George's Cathedral is an Anglican Cathedral in the Sjeik Jarrah neighbourhoud of Jerusalem. It was established in 1899 and it became the seat of the Bishop of Jerusalem. It also houses the George's College that offers theological education for clergy and laity from around the world.
Photo by Bahnfrend
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CHRIST CHURCH
1871 - Nazareth
Christ Church in Nazareth is an Anglican church. Due to financial troubles the church couldn't be completed by 1871 and lacked its intended spire, until one was finally added 143 years later, in 2014. Nearby in Nazareth lies the famous Basilica of the Annunciation.
Photo by Rotem Hofmann
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CHRIST CHURCH JERUSALEM
1849 AD - Old City Jerusalem
Christ Church is an Anglican church. It was the original seat of the Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem until the opening of St. George's Cathedral. Consecrated 1849, it is the oldest Protestant church building in the Middle East. The church emphasises its ancient Jewish roots in its liturgy, symbols, and architecture and its congregation is mainly composed of English-speaking Jewish Christians. Both Christian and Jewish festivals are being celebrated.
Photo by Bahnfrend
'ECCE HOMO BASILICA' & 'OUR LADY OF ZION' CONVENT
1860 AD - Jerusalem
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This Catholic nunnery houses a church, an hospice and an international learning center and was completed in 1862. The convent Óur lady of Zion' was founded in 1857 by Marie-Alphonse Ratisbonne, He was a French Jew and former atheist who converted and became a Catholic priest. The altar of the church of Ecce Homo was build over the left and lower part of the Roman 'Ecce Homo' Arch. The higher part of this (in the middle of this drawing) is still part of the Via Dolorosa. The Convent now houses a pilgrims guesthouse and a library.
Photo by Fallaner
Convent of the Lady of Zion originally was aimed at converting Jews to Christianity (although without using much force of pressure and with more respect for other faiths than what was common in the 19th century). During WWII some members of the Lady of Zion congregation in France and Italy helped to save many Jews (and are mentioned in the 'Rightious amongs the nations' records) and after WWII peacefull coexistence en mutual understanding of Christians and Jews became a main goal even before the 'Nostra Aetate' was declared by the Catholic Church.
1885 AD
NOTRE DAME OF JERUSALEM
This site that started as a place for pilgrims travelling to Jerusalem is an important symbol for Christians and it serves as a open interfaith meeting place. 1882 large groups of pilgrims began coming to the Holy Land under the direction of the French Assumptionists. The experience gained from there pilgrimages prompted the religious to build a center to host French pilgrims. The building would be known as Notre Dame de France. When its first cornerstone was laid on June 10, 1885 by French Catholic Assumptionist priests, it was one of the first buildings to be built outside of the Old City walls. In 1888, Notre Dame received its first pilgrims. The cornerstone of the Chapel was laid during the Eucharistic World Congress of 1893. The Chapel was consecrated the following year. In 1904, after twenty years of ongoing construction, the guest house was completed and crowned with the great statue of the Virgin Mary, a replica of Our Lady of Salvation in Paris. The Notre Dame wants to be neutral place of openness and respect of all faiths and religions within Jerusalem.
PROTESTANT CHURCHES
LUTHERAN CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER
1898 - Jerusalem
The Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem was inaugurated on Reformation Day of 1898, in the presence of the German Kaiser Wilhelm II. In 1869 the Ottoman sultan had given the Prussian royal family a portion of the "Muristan" for building. The Kaiser had the Church of the Redeemer built on the ruins of the Crusader-period church of St. Maria Latina (12th century) to continue the tradition. The Romanesque Revival-style church is today the centre of the German, Arabic, and other language-speaking Protestant churches in Jerusalem. Its present appearance dates to the renovations of the years 1970-1974. The medallion in the main apse and glass windows embedded there provide a glimpse of her former character.
OTHER CATHOLIC CHURCHES
MONASTERY & BASILICA OF ST. ÉTIENNE (ST. STEPHEN)
1900 AD on ruins of old Churches -Jerusalem
A Byzantine monastery was built here by the Empress Eudocia between 431 to 438 to house the relics of the first christian martyr Stephen. According to the Acts of Apostles, Stephen was once a Hellenistic Jew who started to preach the teachings of Jesus to the people of Jerusalem and Hellenistic Jews. A renowned evangelist, he was tried for blasphemy against God and the Jewish laws around 34 AD and was stoned to death by an angry mob. The monastery was destroyed by the Persians, rebuild by St. Sophronius and then restored and enlarged by the Crusaders. They however destroyed the church themselves to prevent it to fall into the hands of Saladin. In the nineteenth century the French Dominicans acquired the site of the ancient ruins of the Crusaders, and after archaeological excavations built the convent and current basilica, which was consecrated in 1900. Tombs dating back from the 8th to 7th century BC have been found under the ruins. When the French Dominicans bought the site they uncovered a crypt. To date, over 15,000 human bones and fragments have been found here, many dating from the 5th to 6th century when the Byzantine Monastery stood. Some beautiful mosaics from this structure can still be seen on the floor of the modern basilica.
Photo by Bukvoed
1912-1955
CHURCHES DESIGNED BY ANTONIO BARZULLI
The architect Antonio Barluzzi (1884-1960), Italian by birth, had holy architecture in his blood. His maternal grandfather was the architect responsible for the maintenance of St. Peter’s Basilica. For many years he considered entering a seminary. On the advice of his spiritual mentor and encouragement of his older brother Giulio, already an architect, he entered the engineering school to study to become an architect. Barluzzi designed an Italian hospital in Ottoman Jerusalem. In 1918 as a sergeant in the Italian army took part in the allied entry into Jerusalem. Barluzzi was asked by the Franciscans to design and build churches atop the ruins of Byzantine and Crusader churches that had been destroyed or fallen into disrepair during the Ottoman period. Thanks to the genius of the architect Barluzzi most of the Franciscan sanctuaries were rebuilt. His first designs were on Mount Tabor and in the Garden of Gethsemane. Barluzzi dedicated his life to the Holy Land, designing nine new Sanctuaries on behalf of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land. In total Barluzzi built or restored 24 churches, hospitals and schools between 1912 and 1955.
CHURCH OF ALL NATIONS
1924 AD -Jerusalem
The current church rests on the foundations of two earlier ones, that of a 4th-century Byzantine basilica and of a small 12th-century Crusader chapel abandoned in 1345. In 1920, during work on the foundations, a column was found two meters beneath the floor of the medieval crusader chapel. June 1924 when it was consecrated. On December 2020, during construction work (on a modern Tunnel to the church) archaeologists revealed the remains of the foundations of a Second Temple-era ritual bath (Mikveh). Also a 1,500 year-old Byzantine church was found with mosaics and Greek inscriptions on the church’s floor with the text: "for the memory and repose of those who love Christ… accept the offering of your servants and give them remission of sins”. According to Israel Antiquities Authority’s Jerusalem district head Amit Re’em, the uniqueness of bath is that it is the first archaeological evidence at the site of Gethsemane where Christians have made pilgrimages for centuries, in the days of Jesus.