Virtual tour "Greek orthodox church of John the Baptist" Virtual tour "Greek orthodox church of John the Baptist" One of the most interesting churches in Jerusalem is the Orthodox Greek Church of St. John the Baptist in the Muristan region.
Churchyard There are several ancient shrines located in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, in close proximity to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Greek Orthodox Church of Saint John the Baptist in the Muristan compound is among the most interesting ones. Its silver dome can be easily seen, rising over the rooftops of the neighboring houses. Let's go on a virtual pilgrimage. This is one of the oldest churches not only in Jerusalem, but also in all of the Holy Land. It was founded in the 5th century by empress Eudocia. As most of the local Christian churches, destroyed several times in the centuries of their existence, the Church of St. John the Baptist didn’t escape similar fate. However, in the 11th century it was reconstructed by Crusaders, and received the name of Santa Maria Granda. After the conquest of Jerusalem, the site functioned as a hostel and a hospital to the wounded Knights of the Cross. Many of the knights who recovered, founded the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John, more commonly known as the Order of Hospitallers. It’s also known as a Maltese order, originally established by warrior monks to protect pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land… After the departure of crusaders from the Holy Land, the church was destroyed again in 1244. Christians had to reconstruct it, but this was made possible only several centuries later, in 1842. This time two bell towers were attached. In this form it has survived until today. Entrance The lower floor, which is virtually underground, is the older church with one big central apse and two smaller side apses. From the courtyard you can access the church porch by the staircase, and one of the three doors in the porch leads inside the church. In the crypt you may see the brickwork that dates back to Crusaders’ period and some even older architectural evidence that goes back to Byzantine times. The lower church houses a baptistery — as recently as in the middle of the last century the visitors had an opportunity to see the ancient pipes that brought water fed by the city pond. The stone altar that stands in one of the side apses is also centuries–old. It was long thought that the church was built upon the spot where stood the house of Zechariah – John the Baptist’s father. In the 10th century, after thorough research Christian scholars established that the birthplace of the Forerunner was the town of Ein Karem – a village to the west of Jerusalem. However, the site is still strongly associated with the personality of John the Baptist, which is why for centuries this church has been named after him. Church The high altar in the upper – more recent part of the church – was consecrated in honor of beheading of St. John the Baptist. This is also the full name of the church. The upper church is located at ground level. It is accessible from the courtyard at the Christian Street. Its most precious relic is the icon of Saint John the Baptist and fragments of his skull in a silver riza. All pilgrims visiting the church come to kiss the icon. The iconostasis is worth special mentioning. Green and decorated with gold – since 1853 and to date it has been considered the largest iconostasis in Jerusalem. Another relic inside the church is a fragment of St. Panagiotis hallows — a Greek martyred by Muslims in Jerusalem in 1820 for his Orthodox Christian faith. Despite its great spiritual and cultural importance, the entry into the old Church of St. John the Baptist cannot easily be found by a pilgrim visiting Jerusalem for the first time. Walking down King David Street, you need to look for a barely noticeable door among souvenir boutiques and clothes shops – above which hangs an icon of the Honorable Head of John the Baptist. As soon as the pilgrim enters this door, he finds himself in the courtyard of the Greek Orthodox Monastery of St. John the Baptist, in whose territory the church is located. In principle there are no restrictions for visiting hours: it’s usually open to public seven days a week from morning till evening.

Virtual tour "Greek orthodox church of John the Baptist"

Creation Date

12.10.2017

Tour Description

One of the most interesting churches in Jerusalem is the Orthodox Greek Church of St. John the Baptist in the Muristan region.

About Virtual Tour

Churchyard

There are several ancient shrines located in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, in close proximity to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Greek Orthodox Church of Saint John the Baptist in the Muristan compound is among the most interesting ones. Its silver dome can be easily seen, rising over the rooftops of the neighboring houses. Let's go on a virtual pilgrimage.
This is one of the oldest churches not only in Jerusalem, but also in all of the Holy Land. It was founded in the 5th century by empress Eudocia. As most of the local Christian churches, destroyed several times in the centuries of their existence, the Church of St. John the Baptist didn’t escape similar fate. However, in the 11th century it was reconstructed by Crusaders, and received the name of Santa Maria Granda.
After the conquest of Jerusalem, the site functioned as a hostel and a hospital to the wounded Knights of the Cross. Many of the knights who recovered, founded the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John, more commonly known as the Order of Hospitallers. It’s also known as a Maltese order, originally established by warrior monks to protect pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land… After the departure of crusaders from the Holy Land, the church was destroyed again in 1244. Christians had to reconstruct it, but this was made possible only several centuries later, in 1842. This time two bell towers were attached. In this form it has survived until today.

Entrance

The lower floor, which is virtually underground, is the older church with one big central apse and two smaller side apses. From the courtyard you can access the church porch by the staircase, and one of the three doors in the porch leads inside the church. In the crypt you may see the brickwork that dates back to Crusaders’ period and some even older architectural evidence that goes back to Byzantine times. The lower church houses a baptistery — as recently as in the middle of the last century the visitors had an opportunity to see the ancient pipes that brought water fed by the city pond. The stone altar that stands in one of the side apses is also centuries–old.
It was long thought that the church was built upon the spot where stood the house of Zechariah – John the Baptist’s father. In the 10th century, after thorough research Christian scholars established that the birthplace of the Forerunner was the town of Ein Karem – a village to the west of Jerusalem. However, the site is still strongly associated with the personality of John the Baptist, which is why for centuries this church has been named after him.

Church

The high altar in the upper – more recent part of the church – was consecrated in honor of beheading of St. John the Baptist. This is also the full name of the church.
The upper church is located at ground level. It is accessible from the courtyard at the Christian Street. Its most precious relic is the icon of Saint John the Baptist and fragments of his skull in a silver riza. All pilgrims visiting the church come to kiss the icon. The iconostasis is worth special mentioning. Green and decorated with gold – since 1853 and to date it has been considered the largest iconostasis in Jerusalem. Another relic inside the church is a fragment of St. Panagiotis hallows — a Greek martyred by Muslims in Jerusalem in 1820 for his Orthodox Christian faith.
Despite its great spiritual and cultural importance, the entry into the old Church of St. John the Baptist cannot easily be found by a pilgrim visiting Jerusalem for the first time. Walking down King David Street, you need to look for a barely noticeable door among souvenir boutiques and clothes shops – above which hangs an icon of the Honorable Head of John the Baptist. As soon as the pilgrim enters this door, he finds himself in the courtyard of the Greek Orthodox Monastery of St. John the Baptist, in whose territory the church is located. In principle there are no restrictions for visiting hours: it’s usually open to public seven days a week from morning till evening.