The Holy Land- The Benedictine Monastery at Abu Gosh - #

The Abu-Gosh Benedictine Monastery is one of the most beautiful crusader buildings to have survived in Israel. Built some 1,000 years ago, on the spot of the water spring, on the main road to Jerusalem, the remains of the crusader resurrection church were restored by the French government and handed over to the Benedictine Order in the 19th century. Remnants of 12th century frescoes can be seen on the monastery walls, and a little spring flows out of the monastery crypt.

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The Church of the Resurrection, built by the Knights Hospitaller in 1145, is a part of the monastery’s the compound. According to tradition, this is Emmaus - which is mentioned in the Gospel of Luke (24) - where Jesus revealed himself after he was resurrected, which is why the church was built here.

In the church crypt you can see the mighty walls the Crusaders built, some are as thick as 11.5 feet! A bubbling spring flows through the crypt.

The monastery’s walls and columns feature frescos that were drawn during the thirteenth century. The frescos, which are considered to be unique, have been cleaned and restored. Although the monastery is Catholic, the frescos were done by Greek Orthodox artists in Byzantine style.
The church is considered to be one of the best preserved Crusader remains in the country.

For about 730 years of its existence since it was established in the 12th century, the compound was abandoned. In 1873, the Ottoman (Turk) Sultan, Abed el Aziz, gave it to the French government to which it still belongs today. The Benedictine monks only came to the Holy Land at the end of the 19th century, and to the monastery in 1901.

When the Muslims gained control of this monastery after the Crusades, they removed the faces on the frescoes as their religion does not believe in imagery.