The Tomb of Mary, the mother of Jesus, is marked by one of Jerusalem’s most venerable churches, located in the Kidron Valley, which the at the foot of the Mount of Olives near the Garden of Gethsemane.
Christians built the first house of prayer here 1,500 years ago over a stone crypt visitors can still see. By Crusader times the church had been destroyed, and only a small cupola remained over the tomb. But in 1130 a new church was built, its façade with pointed Gothic arches, and most of the interior has amazingly survived frequent flooding of the Kidron Stream.
The present décor, with its flickering oil lamps and icons gives the church a feel of mystery and antiquity, and attests to its present congregation of Eastern Christian denominations.
Next to the church is a cave which some believe suits the description of Gethsemane in Mark 14:32 and Matthew 26:36.