Monastery of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Mount Zion)

According to church legend, the Most Holy Mother of God lived and reposed in Mount Zion in the house of the Apostle John the Divine ^{[1] [2]} . The first Byzantine basilica at this place was built in 415 by the Bishop of Jerusalem John II ( 386 - 417 ) and was called Holy Zion ( Greek Αγία Σιών ; lat. Sancta Sion ). ^[3] She was dedicated to the Passover Last Supper of Jesus Christ and His disciples, as well as to the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles at Pentecost . This temple was destroyed during the Persian invasion in 614 , and then rebuilt. From the 7th century, in the northwestern corner of the basilica, a stone was revered, upon which, according to legend, the Mother of God rested. In 966, the temple was again destroyed ^[1] . The Crusaders restored it at the beginning of the 12th century and called it Sancta Maria in Monte Sion . It was destroyed by Muslims in 1187 ^[5] .

At the end of the 19th century, German Catholics, represented by the Order of the Benedictines , managed to acquire this site for 120,000 gold marks from Sultan Abdul-Hamid II , with the mediation of Emperor Wilhelm II during his historic visit to Palestine in 1898 .

In 1900, construction began ^[6] . Heinrich Renard ( de: Heinrich Renard ) ( 1868 - 1928 ) from Cologne became the chief architect of the project, which was conceived as a model for the Carolingian Cathedral in Aachen . The style features of the architecture of the church are unusual. They combine elements of the Byzantine and modern Muslim styles, both in general and in detail. Work ended in 1910 . The church was consecrated in honor of the Assumption of the Virgin ( lat. Dormitio Mariae ). A monastery was organized, in 1926 received the status of an abbey ^[7] .

From the altar in a semicircle six chapels diverge:

• Chapel dedicated to Saint Boniface . The Benedictine archbishop entered the history of Christianity as the holy martyr and patron of Germany.

• The chapel in honor of St. John the Baptist was erected at the expense of the Order of Malta .

• The chapel of Joseph the Handcuffer depicts the ancestors of Jesus Christ in accordance with the chronology given in the Gospel of Matthew . The chapel was donated to the church by the Maltese Order of Silesia .

• The chapel of Cologne is located first to the right of the altar. Presented on the occasion of the consecration of the church, it is mainly dedicated to the three magi who prophesied the birth of the Messiah . According to the existing tradition, their relics were transferred to Cologne Cathedral and buried there. From this time on they became the patrons of Cologne. A number of churches that were built with their assistance are kept by the bishops, saints, and patrons, also depicted in the chapel.

• The chapel of St. Willibald is dedicated to a Benedictine monk, one of the enlighteners of Germany.

• The chapel of St. Benedict was made by the monks of the Benedictine order themselves. The saint himself became the patron saint of France . In the middle of the chapel niche is the cross of St. Benedict, consisting of intersecting abbreviations translated into Russian as follows: "The holy cross will be my light - do not let the snake be my driver." The reliefs around the cross depict miracles and events in the life of the saint.

In the very center of the hall on the floor there are three rings with the words of the praise of seraphims to the Lord: “Holy! Holy! Holy! ” ( Is. 6: 3 ). In Christianity, they symbolize the trinity: God the Father , God the Son, and the Holy Spirit . This center is surrounded by three more rings: with the names of four big prophets , twelve small ones and zodiac signs. Under the floor is a crypt .

Crypt

In the crypt of the temple, in the center of the hall is a sculpture of the Virgin, reclining on a stone pedestal. On the dome of the canopy covering the sculpture is depicted Jesus Christ, invoking His Mother into His Heavenly Kingdom with the words: “Arise, my beloved, my fair, come out! My dove is in the rock gorge under the cliff's roof! ” ( Song 2: 13-14 ). In the medallions surrounding the dome, there are images of six Old Testament female images: Eva , Mariam (elder sister of Moses ), Jail , Judith , Ruth, and Esther .

Six altars surround the sacred bed, the following countries became donors: Austria , Brazil , Ivory Coast , Hungary , Venezuela , USA . They depict their saints and apostles, and they naturally have their own national stylistic features. The main altar in the crypt is dedicated to the Assumption: the fresco depicts the apostles who surrounded the body of the Virgin Mary, and Christ elevating Her soul to Heaven. Also here are the current church and its predecessors. The pillar under the altar is the remnant of the Byzantine column.

The abbey belongs to the Germanic Society of the Holy Land, whose president is the Archbishop of Cologne . Since 1998, the original name is returned: Abbey of Zion of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

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  Mariam , crypt in canopy, medallion

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  Eve , crypt in canopy, medallion

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  General form

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  Organ

• Tomb of the Virgin

• Abbey official website
• Jerusalem Information Portal
• Dormition Abbey (Hagia Sion Abbey) and around ...