Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Jerusalem

In the 1880s, Tsar Alexander III had this Russian Orthodox church raised in memory of his mother, Empress Maria Alexandrovna (known before her marriage as Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine) who died before his second birthday. Set amid trees, its seven gilded onion domes, each topped by a tall golden cross, are among the most striking features of the skyline seen from the Old City. These and other architectural features are in 16th- to 17th-century Muscovite style. The interior has several murals that depict the life of Mary Magdalene, the first recorded witness of Christ's resurrection.

Completely in harmony with the entourage, St. Mary Magdalene's is a striking contrast to others in Jerusalem and is worth looking out for when scanning the Mount of Olives. To this day it is the final resting place for Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia who was martyred along with her fellow nun, Varvara Yakovleva, during the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. Also buried here is Princess Alice of Battenberg, responsible for harboring Jews when the Nazis occupied her country, in order to help keep them alive.

Opening Hours:
Tue, Thu: 10am-12pm

Image by someone10x on Wikimedia under Creative Commons License.

This sight is featured in a self-guided walking tour of Jerusalem, Israel within the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" which can be downloaded from iTunes App Store or Google Play. Please download the app to your mobile phone or tablet for travel directions for visiting this sight. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Create Your Own Self-Guided Walks in Jerusalem

Sight Name: Church of St. Mary Magdalene
Sight Location: Jerusalem, Israel
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Mount of Olives Walking Tour

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