Benedictine monastery in Abu Ghosh

The Benedictine monastery in Abu Ghosh, officially St Mary of the Resurrection Abbey, is a special place run by the Olivetan Benedictine order in Abu Ghosh, Israel. This monastery holds a rich history, as its church stands on the old foundations of a Crusader-period Church of the Resurrection, also called the Church of our Lord's Resurrection. This site dates back to the 12th century and was built over even older Roman ruins right in the heart of Abu Ghosh, a village the Crusaders called Fontenoid.

The location has deep meaning because the Crusaders believed it was connected to Emmaus from the Gospel of Luke. Over time, the village was known by different names — until the 19th century, people called it Qaryet al-'Inab. Today, France claims ownership of the land as part of the French national domain in the Holy Land. This claim comes from old agreements, including the Fischer-Chauvel Agreement from 1948, although Israel has not officially approved it.

History

The church at the monastery was built in 1140 by the Hospitallers. It has a special style mixing Romanesque and early Gothic designs. In 1899, the French government took care of it and put it under the watch of French Benedictine Fathers. In 1956, Lazarist Fathers began running the monastery. Today, both nuns and priests worship there and welcome visitors, remembering a story from the New Testament. The walls still show old paintings from the Crusader time, made in a Byzantine style and fixed up between 1995 and 2001.