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DORMITION ABBEY, JERUSALEM, ISRAEL

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Home » Dormition Abbey, Jerusalem, Israel


DORMITION ABBEY, JERUSALEM





INTRODUCTION



Abbey of the Dormition is a Catholic abbey belonging to the Benedictine Order in
 Jerusalem, on Mount Zion just outside the walls of the Old City near the Zion
Gate. The Abbey is said to mark the spot where Mary, mother of Jesus, died.



Between 1998 and 2006 the community was known as the Abbey of Hagia Maria Sion,
in reference to the basilica of Hagia Sion that stood on this spot during the
Byzantine period, but it resumed the original name during the 2006 celebrations
of the monastery’s centenary. “Hagia Maria Sion” is now the name of the
foundation supporting the abbey’s buildings, community and academic work.

In recent years the church has become a target for vandalism and desecration by
extremist nationalist Israelis.


HISTORY OF DORMITION ABBEY, JERUSALEM




The Byzantine basilica Hagia Sion was built under John II, Bishop of Jerusalem
in the early 5th century. Relics attributed to Saint Stephen were transferred to
the church on 26 December 415. The church is shown in the 6th-century Madaba
Map. It was destroyed in the 614 sack of Jerusalem by Sasanian king Khosrau II.



Its foundations were recovered in 1899, when the architect and construction
manager of the Diocese of Cologne, Heinrich Renard [de] (1868–1928),
investigated the site. Bargil Pixner proposed the theory of a pre-Crusader
Church of Zion, the continuation of an early Judeo-Christian congregation and
their house of worship, which he located on the Madaba Map next to the Hagia
Sion basilica.

A monastic order known as the Abbey of Our Lady of Mount Zion was established at
the site in the 12th century, with a church built on the ruins of the earlier
demolished Byzantine church. The 12th century church was again destroyed in the
13th century, and the monks moved to Sicily. The order was eventually absorbed
into the Jesuits in 1617 (the Congregation of Notre-Dame de Sion is an unrelated
monastic order founded in 1843).


MODERN BUILDING




During his visit to Jerusalem in 1898 for the dedication of the Lutheran Church
of the Redeemer, Kaiser Wilhelm II bought this piece of land on Mount Zion for
120,000 German Goldmark from Sultan Abdul Hamid II and presented it to the
“German Association of the Holy Land” (“de:Deutscher Verein vom Heiligen
Lande”).



Conrad Schick reported about the event, describing the acquired plot of land and
showing confidence that the remains of the ancient Zion Church would be
discovered under the accumulated dirt.

According to local tradition, it was on this spot, near the site of the Last
Supper, that the Blessed Virgin Mary died, or at least ended her worldly
existence. Both in Orthodoxy and Catholicism, as in the language of scripture,
death is often called a “sleeping” – or “falling asleep” – and this gave the
original monastery its name. The church itself is called  Basilica of the
Assumption (or Dormition). In the Catholic dogma of the Assumption of Mary,
Christ’s mother was taken, body and soul, to heaven.

Renard delivered the designs and plans for the Abbey, the direction of
construction was entrusted to the architect Theodor Sandel [de], a member of the
Temple Society and a resident of  Jerusalem. The foundation stone was laid on 7
October 1900. Construction was completed in only ten years; the basilica was
dedicated on 10 April 1910 by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. The Abbey was
built in an ecclesiastical, neo-Romanesque style that had become the state style
of the new Imperial Germany.



The present church is a circular building with several niches containing altars,
and a choir. Two spiral staircases lead to the crypt, the site ascribed to the
Dormition of the Virgin Mary, and also to the organ-loft and the gallery, from
where two of the church’s four towers are accessible.

Out of regard for the nearby Jewish and Muslim sacred place of David’s Tomb,
which occupies part of the ground floor of the Cenacle, where it has
traditionally been said that the Last Supper took place, the bell tower is set
far enough away that its shadow does not touch the tomb, and is therefore not
directly accessible from the church.




BENEDICTINE COMMUNITY



The first monks had already been sent to Jerusalem in 1906 from Beuron Archabbey
in Germany. They were interned for the first time in 1918–1921, after the end of
World War I. In 1926 the monastery was raised to the status of an abbey within
the Beuron Congregation. Between 1939 and 1945, the German monks were interned
for the second time, and then for the third time as the result of the 1948
Arab-Israeli War. The abbey was located in the Israeli-controlled territory on
Mount Zion, across from the Jordanian-controlled territory within the walled
city.



In 1951, the abbey was separated from the Beuron Congregation and placed under
the direct supervision of the Abbot-Primate of the Benedictines in Rome.

The community elected its own abbot for the first time in 1979.


THEOLOGY SEMINAR



Since 1973 the abbey has been hosting an ecumenical year of study for students
of theology from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The curriculum encompasses
biblical, Eastern Orthodox Church, Judaic, and Islamic studies.




VANDALISM



The Dormition Abbey, along with other Christian sites, has been the target of
occasional vandalism as a form of “price tag” terrorism by extremist Israeli
nationalist religious youths.



In October 2012 and in May and June 2013 the abbey was vandalized with
anti-Christian graffiti and insults in Hebrew. The offensive words compared
Christians to monkeys and called for revenge against Jesus. Two cars were also
covered with graffiti and all tyres were slashed. One of the gates of the nearby
Greek Orthodox cemetery was also marked with graffiti. This was allegedly a
“price tag” attack carried out by nationalist religious extremists for the
dismantling of an illegal outpost Havat Ma’on.

On 26 May 2014 a box of wooden crosses was set ablaze inside the Dormition
Abbey. It is believed that this was some sort of failed arson attempt. At the
same time of the arson attempt, Pope Francis was conducting a service in the
building next door in the Cenacle two floors above the room of King David’s
Tomb.

A nationalist religious Jew entered the premises by jumping over a fence in
December 2014 and went on to damage a crucifix, a bench, and a number of statues
in the cemetery, one of which marked the grave of a monk with Israeli
nationality.

In January 2016, vandals wrote slogans on the walls of the Abbey such as “Death
to the heathen Christians, the enemies of Israel” and “May his name be
obliterated” (whose first letters in Hebrew spell the name of Jesus). Gregory
Collins, who was then the abbot, addressed a crowd of demonstrators for peace in
Galilee, saying that: “The attack on the church is an attack on all those who
believe in a civilization of love and coexistence.”


DORMITION OF THE MOTHER OF GOD




The Dormition of the Mother of God is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox,
Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches (except the East Syriac
churches). It celebrates the “falling asleep” (death) of Mary the Theotokos
(“Mother of God”, literally translated as God-bearer), and her being taken up
into heaven (bodily assumption). It is celebrated on 15 August (28 August N.S.
in the Julian Calendar) as the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God.



The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates the Dormition not on a fixed date, but
on the Sunday nearest 15 August. In Western Churches the corresponding feast is
known as the Assumption of Mary, with the exception of the Scottish Episcopal
Church, which has traditionally celebrated the Falling Asleep of the Blessed
Virgin Mary on 15 August.

Christian canonical scriptures do not record the death or Dormition of Mary.
Hippolytus of Thebes, a 7th- or 8th-century author, writes in his partially
preserved chronology of the New Testament that Mary lived for 11 years after the
death of Jesus, dying in AD 41.

The use of the term dormition expresses the belief that the Virgin died without
suffering, in a state of spiritual peace. This belief does not rest on any
scriptural basis, but is affirmed by Orthodox sacred tradition. Some apocryphal
writings testify to this opinion, though neither the Orthodox Church nor other
Christians accord them scriptural authority.

The Orthodox understanding of the Dormition is compatible with Roman Catholic
teaching, and was the dominant belief within the Western Church until late in
the Middle Ages, when the slightly different belief in the bodily Assumption of
Mary into heaven began to gain ground. Pope Pius XII declared the latter a dogma
of the Catholic Church in 1950.




DORMITION FAST



The Feast of the Dormition is preceded by a two-week fast, referred to as the
Dormition Fast. From August 1 to August 14 (inclusive) Orthodox and Eastern
Catholics fast from red meat, poultry, meat products, dairy products (eggs and
milk products), fish, oil, and wine. In churches that follow the old or Julian
Calendar, the fast is from August 14 to August 28. In the Ethiopian Orthodox
Tewahedo Church and the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, whose calendar is
generally consistent with the Julian Calendar, the dates of the fast are from
August 7 to August 22.

The Dormition Fast is a stricter fast than either the Nativity Fast (Advent) or
the Apostles’ Fast, with only wine and oil (but no fish) allowed on weekends. As
with the other Fasts of the Church year, there is a Great Feast that falls
during the Fast; in this case, the Transfiguration (August 6), on which fish,
wine and oil are allowed.

In some places, the services on weekdays during the Dormition Fast are similar
to the services during Great Lent (with some variations). Many churches and
monasteries in the Russian tradition perform the lenten services on at least the
first day of the Dormition Fast. In the Greek tradition, during the Fast either
the Great Paraklesis (Supplicatory Canon) or the Small Paraklesis is celebrated
every evening except Saturday evening and the Eves of the Transfiguration and
the Dormition.

The first day of the Dormition Fast is a feast day called the Procession of the
Cross (August 1), on which day it is customary to have an outdoor procession and
perform the Lesser Blessing of Water. In Eastern Orthodoxy it is also the day of
the Holy Seven Maccabees, Martyrs Abimus, Antonius, Gurias, Eleazar, Eusebonus,
Alimus, and Marcellus, their mother Solomonia, and their teacher Eleazar.
Therefore, the day is sometimes referred to as “Makovei”. Finally it is also
considered the First of the three “Feasts of the Saviour” in August, the Feast
to the All-Merciful Saviour and the Most Holy Mother of God.




DORMITION VERSUS ASSUMPTION



Eastern Christians celebrate the Dormition of the Theotokos on August 15 (August
28, N.S. for those following the Julian Calendar), the same calendar day as the
Roman Catholic Feast of the Assumption of Mary. “Dormition” and “Assumption” are
the different names respectively in use by the Eastern and Western traditions
relating to the end of Mary’s life and to her departure from the earth, although
the beliefs are not necessarily identical. Both views agree that she was taken
up into heaven bodily.

Orthodox view – The Orthodox Church specifically holds one of the two Roman
Catholic alternative beliefs, teaching that Mary died a natural death, like any
human being; that her soul was received by Christ upon death; and that her body
was resurrected on the third day after her repose, at which time she was taken
up, bodily only, into heaven when the apostles, miraculously transported from
the ends of the earth, found her tomb to be empty. The specific belief of the
Orthodox is expressed in their liturgical texts used at the feast of the
Dormition.

The Eastern Catholic observance of the feast corresponds to that of their
Orthodox counterparts, whether Eastern Orthodox or Oriental Orthodox.

Catholic view – The Catholic doctrine of the Assumption covers Mary’s bodily
movement to heaven, but the dogmatic definition avoids saying whether she was
dead or alive at that point. The question had long been in dispute in Catholic
theology; although Catholic art normally portrays her as alive at the point of
assumption, but typically rising from a sarcophagus, many Catholics believe she
had died in the normal way.

Pope Pius XII alludes to the fact of her death at least five times, but left
open the question of whether or not Mary actually underwent death in connection
with her departure, in his Apostolic constitution, Munificentissimus Deus
(1950), which dogmatically defined ex cathedra (i.e., infallibly) the
Assumption.




NARRATIVE



According to later tradition, Mary, having spent her life after Pentecost
supporting and serving the nascent Church, was living in the house of the
Apostle John, in  Jerusalem, when the Archangel Gabriel revealed to her that her
death would occur three days later. The apostles, scattered throughout the
world, are said to have been miraculously transported to be at her side when she
died.

The sole exception was Thomas, who was preaching in India. He is said to have
arrived in a cloud above her tomb exactly three days after her death, and to
have seen her body leaving to heaven. He asked her “Where are you going, O Holy
One?”, at which she took off her girdle and gave it to him saying “Receive this
my friend”, after which she disappeared.

Thomas was taken to his fellow apostles, whom he asked to see her grave, so that
he could bid her goodbye. Mary had been buried in Gethsemane, according to her
request. When they arrived at the grave, her body was gone, leaving a sweet
fragrance.

An apparition is said to have confirmed that Christ had taken her body to heaven
after three days to be reunited with her soul. Eastern Orthodox theology teaches
that the Theotokos has already undergone the bodily resurrection, which all will
experience at the second coming, and stands in heaven in that glorified state
which the other righteous ones will only enjoy after the Last Judgment.




FEAST DAY - 15TH AUGUST



Annual Feast Day of Dormition of the Mother of God is celebrated on 15th August.


CONTACT INFO


Dormition Abbey, 
P.O.B. 22, Mount Zion, 
Jerusalem, Israel.


PHONE NO.



Tel : +972 2-565-5330

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ACCOMMODATIONS





HOW TO REACH THE DORMITION ABBEY



Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel is the nearby Airport to the
Dormition Abbey.

City Hall Light Rail Station in Jerusalem, Israel is the nearby Train Station to
the Dormition Abbey.


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