Saint Mark's Syriac Church and Monastery

About Saint Mark's Syriac Church and Monastery

Church building in East Jerusalem

The Monastery of Saint Mark is a Syriac Orthodox monastery inside the walls of the Old City of Al-Quds, in the Armenian Quarter next to the Church of St Thomas, and the residence of the Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of the city. Tradition places it on the site of the house of Mary, mother of Mark the Evangelist; the Syriac community holds it to be the first church in Christianity and the place where Jesus held the Last Supper. The monastery consists of the main Church of Saint Mark and the adjoining Chapel of Saint Behnam. It preserves the memory of the Syriac Christians, who still pray in a language close to the Aramaic spoken by Jesus; a few resident monks care for the city's small Syriac community. The monastery is open all day to visitors who ring at the gate. Every weekday at 16:00 the monks hold a 25-minute vespers service for the faithful and for visitors, who are welcome to attend.

Where:

Jerusalem, Palestine