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The Monastery of Megali Panagia is located in the Christian Quarter of the UNESCO World Heritage listed Old City of Jerusalem. It’s owned by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
The Monastery of Megali Panagia was built on the spot where the Virgin Mary watched the crucifixion of Jesus at Golgotha. It dates back to the reign of Patriarch Elias, between 494 and 516.
Church
In the narthex of the church, there’s an icon of the Life-giving Spring of Constantinople, which is located in the Zeytinburnu district of Istanbul, Turkey.
The small church contains a wooden iconostasis. On the wall is a fresco depicting the Virgin Mary watching the crucifixion.
Reliquaries in the church contain the bones of several Orthodox saints, including St. Melania (see below), St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Charalambos, St. Nektarios, among others.
Also at the Monastery of Megali Panagia are the relics of a Muslim guard of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre named Emir Tounom, who witnessed the miracle of the cracked pillar. He was so impressed by what he saw, he uttered the phrases “great is the faith of the Greeks” and “behold the true faith”. It’s believed that Emir Tounom converted to Christianity and was later burned alive by the Ottomans in order to silence him.
Near the reliquaries is an icon of the Virgin Hodegetria, which was said to be painted by St. Luke the Evangelist.
Chapel of St. Melania
A steep stairway leads to a chapel underneath the church. The chapel is dedicated to St. Melania and also contains the tomb of the saint.
St. Melania was born in Rome in 383 and was the granddaughter of St. Melania the Elder. She arrived in Jerusalem in 417 by way of Sicily and Alexandria. She died in 439.
Cell of St. Melania
Another steep stairway leads to the cell of St. Melania, which sits under the chapel. In the cell are chains the saint would use to hold herself down as she prayed.
Every night, when the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was closed, St. Melania would take a tunnel that led from the Monastery of Megali Panagia to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. She would spend the night praying at the Sepulchre and return to her cell in the morning before anyone arrived at the church.
