The Church of Saint Mary Magdalene, with its seven golden onion domes glinting in the Jerusalem sun, is one of the most visually striking buildings on the Mount of Olives. Built in 1888 by Tsar Alexander III in memory of his mother, Empress Maria Alexandrovna, the church is a masterpiece of Russian Revival architecture and one of the few buildings in Jerusalem that can be identified from miles away.
Architecture
The church was designed by David Grimm in the style of 16th and 17th-century Russian churches, with the characteristic onion domes that symbolize candle flames reaching toward heaven. The seven domes are covered in gold leaf that catches the light at different angles throughout the day, appearing golden in the morning, white at noon, and amber at sunset. The interior features icons, frescoes, and an iconostasis (altar screen) that were painted in Italy and shipped to Jerusalem for installation.
Grand Duchess Elizabeth
The church is also the burial place of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, the sister of the last Russian Empress Alexandra. Elizabeth was a princess who married into the Romanov family, converted to Russian Orthodoxy, and after her husband was assassinated in 1905, became a nun and founded a convent dedicated to serving the poor. She was murdered by the Bolsheviks in 1918, thrown alive into a mine shaft in Alapayevsk. Her remains were eventually brought to Jerusalem and interred in the church on the Mount of Olives. She was canonized as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1992.
The Garden
The church compound includes a terraced garden on the slope of the Mount of Olives, between the viewpoint at the top and Gethsemane at the bottom. The garden offers views of the Old City through the trees and is one of the most peaceful outdoor spaces on the mountain. The church is managed by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), and the nuns who maintain the compound are welcoming to visitors.
Anointing of King Charles III
In May 2023, when King Charles III was crowned at Westminster Abbey, he was anointed with holy oil that had been consecrated at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. But the olive oil itself came from a more personal source: the trees in the garden of the Church of Mary Magdalene on the Mount of Olives. The connection was deeply meaningful to Charles, whose grandmother, Princess Alice of Battenberg (the mother of Prince Philip), is buried inside the church. Princess Alice, who sheltered a Jewish family in Athens during the Holocaust and was recognized as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem, asked to be buried on the Mount of Olives near her aunt, Grand Duchess Elizabeth. The oil that anointed a king was pressed from olives that grow above the grave of a woman who saved Jews from the Nazis. Some stories write themselves.
Visit with Hoshen Tours
The Church of Mary Magdalene is a highlight of the Mount of Olives descent. Hoshen Tours includes it alongside Dominus Flevit and Gethsemane.