Jerusalem: Tomb of the Virgin Mary, 1927

Images of Jerusalem Gallery

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At the foot of the Mount of Olives lies the tomb of the Virgin Mary; built over top is the Church of the Assumption. According to Catholic doctrine Mary was taken from here directly into heaven because she was sinless.

It is believed that the first church constructed here dates back to the fifth century, just after the Council of Chalcedon. Later a larger church was built in its place but it had been destroyed before the Crusaders arrived to capture Jerusalem. Crusader leader Godfrey of Bouillon built a monastery here, the Abbey of St. Mary of the Valley of Jehoshaphat. The Church itself was rebuilt in 1130 and the Benedictines who lived in the monastery were entrusted with the care of the new structure.

Muslims later used stones from the church and the monastery to help construct the walls of Jerusalem. Mary's crypt itself was left untouched, though, because Muslims venerate her as the "Holy Mother of prophet Jesus." In the 14th century Franciscans entered the scene and rebuilt many structures in and around Jerusalem - including the Church of St. Mary here. In 1757 they were kicked out by Greek Orthodox leaders who now control access to the shrine.

Jerusalem (Hebrew: Yerushalayim, Arabic: al-Quds) is a key religious city for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Because of this, it naturally has a great many religious structures - including a lot of churches. Nearly every denomination of Christianity has some sort of presence in Jerusalem and those that have been around the longest have the most visible presence: large, ornate churches of great antiquity, some going back thousands of years.

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