Its conical roof and squat bell tower are visible from much of southern Jerusalem, rising directly beyond the Ottoman city wall. The abbey was built at the turn of the twentieth century for a German Benedictine community, on ground associated by long tradition with the dormition of the Virgin, and stands within a few steps of the buildings venerated as the Cenacle and the Tomb of David. The upper church is a broad rotunda paved and lined with mosaic, its floor carrying zodiac and prophetic imagery; in the crypt below, a carved effigy of Mary asleep lies beneath a canopy, encircled by chapels offered by different nations. The community maintains a rhythm of chant and study that the programme records alongside the architecture. Filmed in 4K, a self-contained title for strands on Jerusalem, pilgrimage and Christian heritage.
