On the Mount of Olives, in the place where according to the Christian belief Christ ascended to heaven, the Church of the ‘Ascension’ was built by the Russian Church at the end of the 19th century. In the heart of the complex was erected the ‘Russian Candle’ – the tallest tower in Jerusalem
Published on: 26.9.22 11:19
Behind a high wall on Mount Scopus, within the village of A-Tor, is one of the hidden complexes in Jerusalem – this is an isolated and fascinating Russian complex, which looks as if it was copied from Russia. When you cross the iron door, a window opens to another world – a Russian village, with chickens running around in a spacious and incredibly clean yard, beds where vegetables are planted, ancient pine and olive trees and flowers in every corner. About 45 nuns live there in wooden pavilions, whose windows are decorated with embroidered curtains and well-kept planters.
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In the territory of the complex, which covers about 55 dunams – and is surrounded by a wall that is one and a half kilometers long – there are a monastery and a church that were established in 1886. The attraction of the entire heath is the narrow bell tower, which is divided into three levels and at the end is a pointed tower with a cross above it – rising to a height of 66 meters. This is the tallest of the towers of Jerusalem, whose height is highlighted due to the fact that it is built on the uplift of the Mount of Olives ridge. The ridge is characterized by two other towers – Augusta Victoria and the Hebrew University at Mount Scopus. The tip of the cross on top is at a height of 880 meters above sea level.
The upper part of the ‘Russian Candle’ tower in the Church of the Ascension (Photo: Adam Ackerman)
This tall and pointed tower, in which 214 winding and spiral steps, is called “The Russian Candle”. The tower is 20 meters higher than the YMCA tower – from which there is also a view that allows a view of the four wings of the city, but from the Aliya tower there is a more spectacular and long-range panoramic view – also towards the Dead Sea and the Jordan Valley and the mountains of Moab.
The Church of the Ascension and the “Russian Candle” tower were built between 1870-1886, in order to preserve the memory of Jesus’ ascension to heaven. The church belongs to the “White” Russians (known today as the Church in Exile – its center is in New York). They did not recognize the “Red” Church, which arose in Moscow after 1917 (the so-called Patriarchal Church).
The nuns and nuns of the Church of the Ascension against the background of the ‘Russian Candle’ tower (photo: courtesy of the Russian Orthodox Patriarchate)
In 2007, after a long struggle that was political and not religious, the churches were united – but they preserve the hierarchical mechanisms and the ownership of their properties, even though both are currently subordinate to the Patriarch of Moscow.
The huge Russian complex on the Mount of Olives is the result of the initiative of the energetic and talented and charismatic monk Antonio Kapustin, who was sent to Israel by the Russian ambassador in Kushta, in order to increase the Russian hold in Israel and in Jerusalem in particular. Kapustin is the one who also built the “Moscow” complex in Ein Kerem and understood how important the acquisition of most of the Mount of Olives was for Christianity, and he did it despite all the difficulties piled up by the Turkish bureaucracy. According to the Christian belief, from this mountain Jesus entered Jerusalem in the last week of his life and from here ascended to heaven, forty days after his resurrection. Kapustin saw the pinnacle of his achievements in the establishment of the Church of the Ascension and the “closest to heaven” tower, and at his request he was buried in the church complex after his death (1894).
The main bell in the Church of the Ascension (photo: courtesy of the Russian Orthodox Patriarchate)
Seven bells hang in the dome of the ‘Russian Candle’ tower, the largest of which is on the first floor and weighs 6 tons. It was sent by steamship from Russia to Jaffa, and due to its heavy weight, it was not possible to bring it up to Jerusalem with the help of horses. In an operation organized by Kapustin – the bell was placed on a cart, which was pulled by ropes for seven days by over a hundred Russian pilgrims, men and women, who changed every few minutes to rest. They performed this hard work while constantly singing and were encouraged and applauded by the residents of Jerusalem. The bell is engraved with the year 1886, decorated with scenes from the New Testament.
The Church of the Ascension is impressive in its simplicity but also in its beauty, and its blue ceiling dome, which depicts Jesus ascending to heaven, stands out. In a nearby building, there is a chapel (house of worship) dedicated to John the Baptist, herald of the coming of Jesus. According to tradition, his severed head was buried there (he was executed by the son of Herod the Great – Herod Antipas in the Makhvar fortress on the eastern side of the Dead Sea). Christian tradition says that one of the disciples of John the Baptist took his head in an urn and buried it on the Mount of Olives.
The blue dome with Jesus in the Church of the Ascension (photo: Adam Ackerman)
There are also antiquities in the yard, here the coffin was also discovered with the bones of King Uzziah of Judah, who died of leprosy. Two Armenian floors with paintings of birds, fish and cows – left over from the Armenian church built on the site during the Byzantine period – were also uncovered. In a nearby burial cave, inside a dungeon, there are graves with Armenian names. In the yard there is also a large rounded stone, surrounded by a grate, on which, according to tradition, Miriam stood, during the ascension of her son Jesus. The Jews call the entire complex by the name “Tor Malka”, an Aramaic name that means the king’s mountain, which is mentioned in the Talmud – probably influenced by the name of the Arab village A-Tor.
In 1927, a strong earthquake hit Jerusalem. The height of its power was felt on the Mount of Olives and also on the Mount of Scopus, where the magnificent building of Augusta Victoria was damaged. Damage was also caused to the Russian Church of the Ascension, and eyewitnesses said that the bell tower swung like a pendulum, but survived. In 1906, the monastery was inaugurated in the Russian complex, and 15 nuns lived there at the time, gradually increasing their number to 150 in 1914. A huge icon with the image of Mary, the mother of Jesus, was brought to the place by pilgrims from Russia, and has since become the symbol of the church and is carried at the head of the religious ritual processions.
The Russian Church suffered greatly during World War I, due to Tsarist Russia’s war in Germany and Turkey. The Turks expelled the entire team and used the compound for the needs of the army. With the entry of the British, the nuns returned to the church. In 1924, the church was expanded and renovated, in order to allow prayer for all the residents of the complex. Among other things, the nuns are engaged in weaving and embroidery, picking olives, growing vegetables and doing crafts in the iconography studio. There is a rustic dining room, a bakery and a guest house. There are several nuns in the team and some of the nuns are Palestinian and Romanian.
Church of the Ascension from a bird’s eye view (photo: courtesy of the Russian Orthodox Patriarchate)
In 1898 Herzl visited Israel with a Zionist delegation for a meeting with the German Emperor Wilhelm II – who was then in Israel on a state visit. Herzl spent five days in Jerusalem, and among the sites recommended by the guide who accompanied him was the Ascension Tower. And so Herzl recounts in his diary: “We climbed the Russian tower, I reached the first gas station because I was dizzy. My friends went all the way to the top. The view of the Judean desert and the sides of the mountains, the Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea, the mountains of Moab – and above all the sights of the eternal city of Jerusalem “.
- The author is Adam Ackerman, author of the books: “101 Sites in Jerusalem” and “Mysterious Jerusalem: 99 Hidden Sites”.