Dormition Abbey – Benedictine Community in Jerusalem

Dormition Abbey was built on Mount Zion, the site of the last supper, just outside the Old City of Jerusalem. This place is also revered as the first centre of Christianity and as the site of the “dormition” of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The site was purchased by the German Emperor William II in 1898 and handed over to the German Association of the Holy Land. This allowed the establishment of a German-speaking Benedictine community on this holy site. The first monks arrived in 1906, the church was consecrated in 1910.

The Benedictine’s tasks include caring for the holy sites and for pilgrims, a commitment to foster peace and mutual understanding as well as hospitality. The abbey also offers an ecumenical study programme for German-speaking theology students.

Benedictine Community

The German-speaking community includes the Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion as well as the Tabgha Monastery at the Sea of Galilee. A core task of the monks is prayer and the commitment to peace.

Study on Mount Zion: The Theological Study Programme

The ecumenical theological study programme affiliated to the Dormition Abbey provides German-speaking theology students with an opportunity to pass an academic year in the Land of the Bible. The study house, Beit Josef, is located in the immediate vicinity of the abbey. The study programme consists of exegesis, biblical and Christian archaeology as well as ecumenism and a closer look at Judaism and Islam. Besides lectures and seminars, the syllabus includes various scientific field-trips as well as guest lectures on culture, religion and contemporary history.