Church of the Resurrection in Abu Gosh

On Christmas Eve hundreds of Christians, Jews and Moslems stream into Abu Gosh and fill the Church of the Resurrection to overflowing. Asked by the monks to respect the sanctity of the church (and to turn off their cellular phones), they sit waiting, expectantly, in a hushed and uncharacteristic silence. The images in the church’s brilliant frescoes, painted nearly a thousand years ago, seem to hold their breath in anticipation. Suddenly, the pungent fragrance of incense permeates the air. Splendid music echoes through the high and ancient ceilings as, dressed all in white, Benedictine monks and nuns proceed solemnly into the sanctuary. Midnight Mass has begun.

Less than a century ago there were no services in this church. In fact, when the first Benedictines reached the Moslem village of Abu Gosh they discovered unruly shrubs growing on the roof, the inner walls and interior covered with manifold layers of grime and calcium deposits and the whole structure on the verge of collapse.

Ownership of the church in Abu Gosh and the land on which it stood had been transferred from the Ottoman Turks to the French government in 1873. It had taken over 25 years to find a group of monks willing to take on the task of restoring the abandoned and neglected sanctuary, built during the Crusader era and located in the center of an Arab Moslem village outside of Jerusalem. Franciscans, White Fathers, Assumptionists – all had refused the offer.

But now the Benedictines had come. As soon as possible they erected a beautiful stone monastery against one of the deteriorating walls to act as its brace. They then began repairing the rest of the walls, which had remained standing only because they were unusually thick. When they finished they christened the sanctuary the Church of the Resurrection.

Half a century later the Benedictines left and were replaced by Lazarists who remained only until 1974. Now the French looked for more permanent caretakers. They found them at Le Bec-Hellouin Monastery in Normandy, France, an establishment whose abbots had always had strong feelings about Judaism and felt a deep-seated connection to the Jewish people.

Dom Grammont was abbot at Le Bec in the 1970’s. When he learned about Abu Gosh he felt a divine call to send some of his monks to the village. Three of them embarked on the journey, one of them the contemporary abbot – the warm and humorous Jean-Baptiste who is their spiritual father. A year later Brother Olivier, today the monastery’s Prior, joined the community in the Holy Land. Today there are 10 monks in the monastic compound, along with 13 Benedictine nuns. Except for special feasts and daily prayers, they lead completely separate lives.

Unlike other monks, Benedictines take a vow to remain in their chosen monastery their entire lives. Of course, living forever as a family and in such close quarters requires discipline, and Benedictines are governed by a set of regulations written over 1,500 years ago that detail every facet of communal life. The Rule of St. Benedict charges monks to worship 7 times a day, directs them to set aside hours and sometimes days for complete silence, and allows plenty of time for contemplation and meditation that help the monks to reach new spiritual heights.

Obedience and humility are highly regarded virtues in the Benedictine world. The Rule prohibits bitter or disgruntled behavior, as that would completely disrupt the sense of family. It also states that a guest is to be treated as if he were the Messiah!

Every morning after the second set of prayers the monastery’s monks meet in a corner of the vaulted crypt beneath the church and listen as the Father Superior reads a chapter from the Rule of St. Benedict. It is here, in this solitary place, that they also discuss major decisions.

Not far from the semi-circle of chairs in what the monks call the “chapter”, a spring flows underground. In the second century the tenth Roman Legion built a fort and an enormous cistern above this spring. Nearly a thousand years later the Crusaders identified Abu Gosh with the biblical Emmaus (Luke 24:13-36). Utilizing the vaulted reservoir as a crypt, they constructed a beautiful church just above it and decorated the walls with stunning frescos that were just recently restored. The experts who worked on them added only what they were sure had been there before, so what you see today are authentic Crusader-era paintings, rarely found in Israel.

When the current group of monks came to Abu Gosh in 1976, they felt quite lonely and isolated. Fortunately, Arab nuns living in the region made them feel welcome. “They were like mothers to us,” says one of the monks. “This opened our hearts to another world, and although we have never abandoned our primary and special relationship to the people of Israel we also have many connections to Palestinians in Bethlehem and Moslems from the village.”

Like the other monks, Brother Olivier passes his mornings in prayer and study. Most of his afternoons are spent with individuals and groups who are interested in Christianity and want to learn about life in a monastery from a “real” monk. “I tell them, one and all, that with mutual respect, good will and an open heart anyone can become friends.”