The hill rises sharply from the road that climbs towards Jerusalem, and the statue on the church roof is the first thing travellers see. According to the biblical account, the Ark of the Covenant remained here at Kiryat Ye'arim for years before being carried up to Jerusalem, and the hilltop has been identified with that story since antiquity. The present church, served by a French religious community, was raised over the remains of an earlier Byzantine sanctuary, portions of whose mosaic floor survive. Its interior is plain and luminous; its terraces command a wide view over the wooded Judean hills and the corridor towards the capital. Filmed in 4K, with aerial views of the hill and the surrounding forest, the programme combines biblical narrative, archaeological remains and monastic life in a compact, self-contained portrait.
