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Our final stop on Mount Zion was Dormition Abbey, a German Benedictine abbey just around the corner from the Cenacle and King David’s Tomb.
History
The abbey sits atop the foundations of Hagia Sion, a Christian basilica originally built by Roman Emperor Theodosius I between 379 and 384. The basilica was damaged by the Sassanids in 614, repaired, and destroyed in 1009 by Caliph Al-Hakim.
The Crusaders built a cathedral on the site in the 12th century, but it was destroyed shortly after. Only the building containing King David’s Tomb and the Cenacle survived.
Church
Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany purchased the land for the abbey from Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II in 1898. The church was built between 1900 and 1910, and was designed by German architect Theodor Sandel (1845-1902). It’s a circular building with several niches and altars. The church sits above the site of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary.
Crypt
A pair of spiral staircases lead down to the crypt, where tradition says the Dormition took place. Catholics believe this was the location of the Virgin Mary’s assumption into heaven, while Eastern Christians believe she was buried in a tomb at Gethsemane before her assumption. In the center of the crypt is a symbolic tomb topped with an image of the Virgin Mary.
A dome decorated with beautiful mosaics covers the tomb. Other chapels surround the crypt, including the Hungarian Chapel.
