Fr MATTHIAS KARL, osb Prior Dormition Abbey "This is truly a unique place in Jerusalem: from here we see all the Christian sanctuaries - especially the Holy Sepulcher, the Mount of Olives - but we also see the places of prayer of the Jews - the Hurva Synagogue - and of the Muslims - the mosque of Al-Aqsa." Mount Zion and the Old City, East and West Jerusalem, all the way to Bethlehem. The Benedictine monks of the Dormition Abbey have been enjoying this spectacular view from the 33 meters high bell tower for over a century. Theirs is an adventure that began 120 years ago, on the place that reminds us of the "falling asleep" of Mary who, according to tradition, preceded her Assumption. "Yet - explains the prior, Father Matthias, - it was almost a miracle to build a church and a monastery on Mount Zion. Fr MATTHIAS KARL, osb Prior Dormition Abbey "We were under Muslim rule, here in the Holy Land: certainly in the old city there were already some churches, but outside there was the cenacle, which was a mosque, and around it lived Muslim families. With the visit of our king, Wilhelm II, it was possible to buy the land where today the Church of the Dormition and our Benedictine monastery are located." The bond with Germany, from which all the monks come, has always been very close. It passes above all through the German Holy Land Association, and has been fundamental in financing the important restructuring project that will start at the beginning of 2021 and will last two years. It will start with the entrance to the church and the spaces open to the public and the cafeteria, which must be made accessible to all through the elimination of architectural barriers, and then it will move on to maintenance in the monastery. ALESSANDRO PERUGINI Project Manager Restructuring Church of the Dormition "An important aspect of our intervention will be dedicated to the modernization of the systems: water and sanitary, electrical, fire-fighting, safety. The structure has been made in an excellent way but it is now more than 120 years old, there are leaks in the roof and in some terraces, for this reason we will need both to intervene on the roofs and to remove all the humidity." The heart of the project, however, is the upper church of the Dormition which will see the complete renovation of the presbytery, where a new altar will be placed. Fr MATTHIAS KARL, osb Prior Dormition Abbey "In 2003 we put a very simple wooden altar here just to have an idea of where to place the new altar and how big it should be. 17 years have passed, and finally the new altar, which will be made of stone, will arrive. But it will not be rebuilt only the altar. There will be new seats for the monks. The walls will be torn down, left and right, to create more space for the pilgrims. Because the church is above all a church for pilgrims, who love to celebrate Holy Mass here on Mount Zion next to the Cenacle, the place where the Eucharist was born." Read More