About the Dormition Abbey (or Basilica of the Assumption) in Jerusalem:
The Church of the Dormition is a Benedictine church and monastery built by German Catholics between 1900-1910 over a series of ruined predecessors marking the spot where, according to Catholic tradition and theology, Mary was assumed body and soul into heaven at the end of her earthly life, a belief defined as dogma by Pope Pius XII in 1950. While the dogma does not explicitly define whether she died first, tradition (including Eastern “Dormition” traditions) strongly holds that she did die, or “fall asleep,” before her bodily assumption.
The Dormition Abbey, known in Latin as Dormitio Sanctae Mariae (Falling Asleep of the Holy Mary), marks the place where the Blessed Virgin Mary is believed to have died. It is one of Jerusalem’s most impressive churches. Its construction was a project of the Lazarist Fathers, and was supported by the German Kaiser Wilhelm II, who visited Jerusalem in 1898.The Romanesque style church, designed by architect Heinrich Renard of Koln, features a conical roof that physically dominates Mount Zion and can be seen from almost every vantage point in the city. The exterior was modeled after the Worms Cathedral and the interior designed as a replica of Charlemagne’s palace chapel at Aix-la-Chapelle, with walls of inlaid mosaics depicting events from Christian history.
The Jerusalem Foundation supported purchase and installation of the church’s choir organ, which was built by the German Oberlinger Pipe Organ Building Company, one of the oldest organ building firms in Europe. The present church is a circular building with several niches containing altars, and a choir. Two spiral staircases lead to the crypt, the site ascribed to the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, and also to the organ-loft and the gallery, from where two of the church’s four towers are accessible.
Of course, we celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 15.
Traveling to The Abbey of the Dormition:
The Abbey of Dormition is on Mount Zion. Mount Zion is just outside the city walls of Jerusalem and southwest of the Armenian Quarter, directly across from the Zion Gate. Mount Zion is the highest point in ancient Jerusalem. It is located directly across from the Zion Gate, which links Mount Zion to the Armenian Quarter. The abbey is near the Room of the Last Supper (Coenaculum) and King David’s Tomb.
While it is outside the current Ottoman-era walls, the location was within the city walls during the Roman and Byzantine periods. The site is both easily accessible and easy to find.