Jerusalem - Monastery of the Cross

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The Monastery of the Cross is one of Jerusalem's  lesser known churches, because its claimed connection to the cross of Jesus belongs more to legend than to reality. It almost looks like a fortress, which may confirm that its location was originally outside the protective walls of the city. Today, it is surrounded by the Knesset (Parliament) to the north, the Israeli Museum to the west, a local neighborhood to the east, and a four-lane highway to the south. 

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The Monastery of the Cross got its name from a legend that the wood of Jesus’ cross came from a tree planted here in ancient times. There are two legends about this: one (the most common legend), that Lot planted the tree (the photo of a painting from inside the monastery that I've inserted), and two, that Adam was involved with the planting.

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