Kiryat Yearim (Kiryat Jearim, “City of Forests”) is a hilltop west of Jerusalem where the Ark of the Covenant rested for 20 years after the Philistines returned it and before David brought it to Jerusalem. The site, overlooking the road from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem near Abu Ghosh, is crowned by the Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant, whose massive statue of the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus is visible from the highway.
Ark at Kiryat Yearim
After the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant at the Battle of Aphek and suffered plagues in every city where they placed it (Ashdod, Gath, Ekron), they returned it to the Israelites on a cart pulled by two cows. The cart arrived at Beth Shemesh, where the people rejoiced but were struck down for looking inside the Ark. Terrified, the people of Beth Shemesh sent a message: “Who can stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God?” (1 Samuel 6:20). The Ark was then brought to Kiryat Yearim, to the house of Abinadab on the hill: “So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord. They brought it to Abinadab’s house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the Lord” (1 Samuel 7:1).
The Ark remained at Kiryat Yearim for 20 years, during the entire judgeship of Samuel and the reign of King Saul. It was David who finally brought the Ark to Jerusalem, dancing before it “with all his might” (2 Samuel 6:14), in one of the most joyous processions described in the Bible.
The Church
The Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant was built by the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition in 1924 on the hilltop traditionally identified as the location of Abinadab’s house. The church is a simple stone building, but its most prominent feature is the large statue of the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus on the roof, visible from the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway. The statue, with Mary’s arms raised to present Jesus to the world, is a deliberate reference to the Ark: in Catholic theology, Mary is the “Ark of the New Covenant,” carrying within her the presence of God just as the original Ark carried the tablets of the Law.
The Excavations
Recent archaeological excavations at Kiryat Yearim, led by Israel Finkelstein of Tel Aviv University and Thomas Romer of the College de France, have uncovered the remains of a massive platform on the hilltop dating to the 8th century BCE. The platform, built of large stones and measuring approximately 150 by 110 meters, may have supported a temple or a major public building. The excavators suggest that the site served as a significant religious center during the period of the Judean monarchy, consistent with its identification as the place where the Ark was kept. The excavations are ongoing and have attracted international attention.
The View
The hilltop offers panoramic views of the Jerusalem Corridor, including Abu Ghosh in the valley below, the Castel to the east, and the forests of the Jerusalem hills stretching in every direction. The Ark’s 20-year resting place was on one of the highest and most visible hilltops in the area, a fitting location for the most sacred object in ancient Israel.
Visit with Hoshen Tours
Kiryat Yearim connects the Ark narrative to the Jerusalem Corridor landscape. Hoshen Tours tells the full story of the Ark, from its capture by the Philistines, through its plagues in Ashdod and its return to Beth Shemesh, to its 20 years on this hilltop, and finally to David’s joyous procession to Jerusalem.