Description of the Holy Land
| Name of text: | Description of the Holy Land |
| Author of text: | John of Wurzburg |
| Date of text: | 1160-70 |
| Date of person in text: | |
| Name of structure in text: | Church of the Ascension, Mount of Olives |
| Type of structure in text: | church |
| Date of structure in text | Late 4th C to 614, destroyed by Persians, restored by Modestus |
| Century of structure 1: | 4 AD |
| Century of structure 2: | 12 AD |
| Country in text: | Israel |
| Region in text: | |
| City in text: | Jerusalem |
| Specific place of mosaic in text: | apse of the sanctuary |
| Description of mosaic in text: | Pentecost, 12 apostles, Holy Ghost in the form of fiery tongues, inscriptions. |
| Mosaic date in text: | |
| Tesserae silver mentioned in text? | No |
| Tesserae gold mentioned in text? | No |
| Colour descriptions in text: | |
| Bibliography: | John of Wurzburg, Description of the Holy Land, trans. by Aubrey Stewart (London: Palestine Pilgrims Text Society, 1890), ch. 14, pp. 42-3 |
| URLs: | |
| Comments: | This was rebuilt by Crusaders as a roofed octagon in c. 1102, and after the fall of Jerusalem in 1198 Salah al-Din gave the church to his followers who added stone dome and mihrab. Building remained in use as a mosque for 300 years. Fell into ruin by end of 15th C, octagon wall remained, and mosque and minaret added in 1620. Moslem Chapel of the Ascension now stands on this site. |