METOXION Jerusalem

Today we are visiting a Greek Monastery called “Gethsemane Metoxion” here at the plaza of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Now you are probably asking what is for a Monastery called Gethsemane Metoxion here near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and not at the Mount of Olives where Gethsemane is located.

During the Muslim period in Jerusalem, Christians were not, always, allowed to walk freely and to celebrate their religious feasts everywhere in Jerusalem. So the Greek Orthodox had to find themselves a place where they can meet together and celebrate their religious feast and the best place to do it is near the holiest place in Jerusalem  –  the church of the Holy sepulchre. So they named this monastery Gethsemane and used to meet here to celebrate feasts that should have been celebrated at Gethsemane at the Mount of Olives.

METOXION

Now, Metoxion means in Greek as “A place for meeting” and this is how this Monastery was named “Gethsemane Metoxion”.

Now let’s get inside this Monastery.

If we walk up these stairs we get to a small church where a famous ICON of St. Mary, mother of Jesus, is being held all year – This Icon is the most sacred Icon of Mary for Greek Orthodoxs and it is located here in Jerusalem.

Assumption of Mary – Greek Orthodox

Each year on the night of August 25, the Icon is moved along a wonderful procession, to the Tomb of Mary at the slop of Mount of Olives for the week of the celebration of the Assumption of Mary to Heaven, here in Jerusalem.

Thant’s it for today, and until we meet in my next video, Let’s All Live the Jerusalem Experience!