Church of St. John the Baptist — Attraction in Jerusalem

The Church of St. John the Baptist is one of the oldest churches in Jerusalem, with roots dating back to the mid 5th century. Historically, it has been a Mosque as well as a hospice during the Crusader period. However, presently it is a Greek Orthodox church.

The exterior of the building is being restored at present, meaning it can't be accessed at Muristan. However, if you walk back to Christian Quarter Road, you'll find a small alleyway leading to the courtyard where the church can be entered and visited. You will notice a small sign which states that the church remains open from 9am to 5pm daily but closed on Sundays.

Inside you will find darkly lit rooms decorated in early Christian and Greek Orthodox manner. Attractive chandeliers hang from a ceiling and there are nicely painted images to see. Heavily gilded iconostasis and entire walls lined with beautiful iconic images can be seen. The interior is small and can be conveniently enjoyed in 5-10 minutes if you are short on time.

Overall, The Church of St. John the Baptist is an interesting ancient church that many seem to skip or not know about. We really enjoyed finding and visiting while sightseeing in the Christian Quarter and would gladly return if we were to visit...

Monastery of St. John the Baptist in Jerusalem is one of the oldest Christian churches in the world. She was built in the 5th century by Empress Evdokia. The church was destroyed in the 11 century many of the invaders cruisers. At its first and second pilgrimage Serbian St. Savva came across was the poor state of this place of worship and gave the silver and gold, and greatly helped its revitalization, after which they again opened the door of the church. It has long been St. Sava Serbian therein mentioned with the founders of...

After having been four times to the church area in the past year, in different times and days of the week, I have never found it open - nearby salesmen says it doesn’t have regular opening times since the beginning of the COVID pandemics almost 3 years ago. In the last time I passed by, I did find open the compound area where people live (not the Church itself though) and managed to take...