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Mount Zion is a hill southwest of the Old City of Jerusalem. It contains three important religious sites.

 

Brief History of Mount Zion

Mount Zion is the home of the Cenacle, traditionally held to be the site of the Last Supper; the tomb of King David; and Dormition Abbey, where the Virgin Mary died.

Entrance to Mount Zion in Jerusalem
Entrance to Mount Zion

The Church of Zion, which was a church or synagogue that may have belonged to a sect of Jewish Christians, stood on the site from the early 2nd to 4th centuries. Roman Emperor Theodosius I later built Hagia Sion, a Christian basilica, between 379 and 384. The basilica was damaged by the Sassanids in 614, repaired, and destroyed in 1009 by Caliph Al-Hakim.

Walking through Mount Zion

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 (ground floor) and the Cenacle (upper floor) survived. Syrian Christians maintained the building until the 1332, when it was purchased by the Franciscans. They managed it until 1524, when the Ottomans turned it into a mosque.

Rear of Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion in Jerusalem
Rear of Dormition Abbey

Christians and Jews weren’t able to access the two sites until the creation of the State of Israel. King David’s Tomb was transformed from a mosque into a synagogue after the 1947-1949 Palestine War. The building is now managed by the Diaspora Yeshiva.

Walking to the Cenacle and King David’s Tomb


 

Cenacle

At the entrance to Mount Zion, a sign points the way to the Cenacle, which is also called the Room of the Last Supper or the Upper Room. We walked through a building, exited from the other side, then went up a staircase and through another door to enter the room.

Entrance to the Cenacle on Mount Zion in Jerusalem
Entrance
Stairs up to the Cenacle
Stairs up to the Cenacle
Door to the Cenacle
Door to the Cenacle

The Cenacle is not only believed to be the site of the Last Supper, but also where Jesus washed the disciples’ feet and reappeared after the Resurrection. Catholics consider the room to be the very first church.

Cenacle on Mount Zion in Jerusalem
Cenacle
Cenacle on Mount Zion in Jerusalem
Cenacle
Column from the Crusader church in the Cenacle on Mount Zion in Jerusalem
Column from the Crusader church

Islamic elements existing today from the building’s time as a mosque include the mihrab, stained glass windows, inscriptions on the walls, and the minaret.

Ottoman stained glass window in the Cenacle on Mount Zion in Jerusalem
Ottoman stained glass window
Arabic inscription in the Cenacle
Arabic inscription
Minaret above the Cenacle on Mount Zion in Jerusalem
Minaret above the Cenacle

Finally, a bronze olive tree sits on one side of the room. It has three trunks symbolizing peace between Christians, Muslims, and Jews, as well as a vine and shaft of wheat symbolizing the wine and bread eaten at the Last Supper. The tree was a gift from Pope John Paul II on his visit to Jerusalem.

Bronze olive tree in the Cenacle on Mount Zion in Jerusalem
Bronze olive tree

 

King David’s Tomb

King David’s Tomb is on the ground floor of the same building containing the Cenacle. We visited the tomb after walking down from the Cenacle. A Sephardi synagogue established in 1948 sits just outside the entrance.

King David's Tomb on Mount Zion in Jerusalem
King David’s Tomb
Sephardi synagogue on Mount Zion in Jerusalem
Sephardi synagogue

King David’s Tomb was considered Israel’s holiest religious site during Jordan’s annexation of the West Bank and Jerusalem, from 1948 to 1967. Jewish pilgrims were forbidden entry to the Old City at that time. Instead, they would climb to the roof of the building, above the Cenacle, to pray and view the Temple Mount.

Entrance to King David's Tomb
Entrance to King David’s Tomb

There are separate sections for both men and women. I entered the men’s section, where kippahs are provided to all visitors. The men’s section contains a library and benches just outside the entrance to the room containing the sarcophagus of King David.

Men's section at King David's Tomb
Men’s section
Men's section at King David's Tomb on Mount Zion in Jerusalem
Men’s section
Library in the men's section at King David's Tomb
Library

When the building served as a mosque, the sarcophagus was draped in an Islamic silk cloth. Ever since the tomb was converted to a synagogue in 1949, the sarcophagus has been covered in cloths with symbols and Hebrew text.

Man praying at King David's Tomb on Mount Zion in Jerusalem
Man praying at King David’s Tomb

Historically, Mount Zion wasn’t regarded as the tomb of David until at least the 9th century. Most archaeologists don’t consider it to be authentic, and the sarcophagus has never been opened to analyze the remains inside.


 

Dormition Abbey

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. The abbey was built atop the foundations of the aforementioned Hagia Sion.

Dormition Abbey from the Ramparts Walk
Dormition Abbey from the Ramparts Walk
Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion in Jerusalem
Dormition Abbey
Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion in Jerusalem
Dormition Abbey
Entrance to Dormition Abbey
Entrance to the church

Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany purchased the land for Dormition Abbey from Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II in 1898. The current 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.

Nave of Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion in Jerusalem
Nave
Altars at Dormition Abbey
Altars
An altar at Dormition Abbey
Altar
Altars at Dormition Abbey
Altars

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.

Crypt at Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion in Jerusalem
Crypt
Location of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary at Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion in Jerusalem
Location of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary
Location of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary at Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion in Jerusalem
Location of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary

A dome decorated with beautiful mosaics covers the tomb. Other chapels surround the crypt, including the Hungarian Chapel.

Mosaic under the dome in the crypt at Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion in Jerusalem
Mosaic under the dome
Hungarian Chapel in the crypt at Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion in Jerusalem
Hungarian Chapel
Chapel in the crypt at Dormition Abbey
Chapel in the crypt

 

Map of Mount Zion

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