Dormition Abby

This is the Dormition Abby Church located just a two minute walk from the JUC campus. It is the next building up on the Mt. Zion Hill. It is a very impressive structure. I believe that it is Roman Catholic operated by the Benedictine monks. Services are held on a regular basis. I have not had the chance to attend any of the services yet. I may or may not before I leave.

This is the main sanctuary/cathedral of the Abby. The facility is a large compound and it is difficult to get a good picture with both structures in view. This site is very historic and loaded with traditions. In the basement of this building is a memorial to the tomb of Mary. Adjacent to this building in the same compound is the site of David's tomb and the supposed (but certainly not) room of the last supper.

This is a mosaic in the floor of the Abby. It is not exactly ancient; it was completed in 1910.

Peace Candles in the Abby. These are very popular in all of the Historic Churches. You pay a shekel, place a candle and pray a prayer for the peace of Jerusalem.

A shot of the main church structure from the street below with a gate to an inner courtyard in the foreground.

Also adjacent to the site is a cave-like Holocaust memorial museum. This is a uniform shirt that a Nazi soldier forced a Jewish tailor to make out of leather Torah scrolls. The tailor chose all of the passages of curses to make the uniform.