7 Muscovia (The Russian Orthodox Gorny Convent)

A tour led by Ein-Kerem Legend inside what used to be the Russian village Gornensky, known among local Arabs as Muscovia. The village was established at the end of the 19^th century as a compound for pilgrims due to its proximity to a number of holy sites in Ein Kerem. It consists of three churches – a large church designed in the Russian Orthodox style with gold onion-shaped domes (whose construction was completed in 2004), a chapel, and a place of worship situated in a cave – a convent for nuns, a guesthouse for pilgrims and a cemetery. Dozens of nuns, pilgrims and a monk currently live there. The tour will tell the story behind Muscovia, which sits on Ein Kerem’s breathtaking slope, and talk about the Light Rail bridge that was built next to the nun’s quarters and threatens to compromise the reclusive nature of the convent.

* Participants are required to wear modest clothing.