St. Simeon Monasteryدير القديس سمعان في القطمونΙερά Μονή Αγίου Συμεών

Outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, in the heart of the Katamon neighborhood of Jerusalem, is the Greek Orthodox Monastery of Saint Simeon the God-receiver. The Monastery is believed to be built on the site of the house and tomb of Saint Simeon. Saint Simeon was a scholar who lived at the time before the birth of Jesus Christ. He was one of seventy scholars that was invited to Alexandria to translate the Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament of today, in to Greek. While he was translating the book of the Prophet Isaiah, he came upon a passage that read, “Behold, a virgin shall conceive...”. He was in such disbelief at such a thing being possible that he dropped his ring in to a river. He told himself that if he ever found the ring again, then he would believe what was written by the prophet. Later, he was staying in a small town and bought a fish to eat. He found the ring inside the belly of the fish, and now believing the verse, he returned to Jerusalem and prayed that he would live long enough to meet the Messiah. When the Virgin Mary and Joseph brought baby Jesus to the Temple, Saint Simeon was there and blessed the child. After the presentation, Saint Simeon died at the age of 270. It is for this reason that he is known in the church as the God-receiver. The Monastery of Saint Simeon was built on the spot that Saint Simeon lived in Jerusalem as he waited for the birth of Jesus, according to tradition. The first monastery built on the spot was by the Georgians in the 12th century. It was later destroyed and laid in ruins, until the land was bought by the monk Abramios. He then spent the next twenty years reconstructing the monastery and the church. In 1879, while clearing the grounds in search of the Saint’s tomb, Abramios revealed tombs carved in to the rock. The tomb believed to have belonged to Saint  Simeon  can  be  seen  today  in  a  small  chapel  near  the  church.  It  is surrounded by icons dedicated to Saint Simeon and the events of his life. Other artefacts within the church include an old cistern and mosaic floors. Today, the monastery is the home of one monk who cares for the site. The monastery is only open to pilgrims and not to the general public. Pilgrims withing to visit the site must make arrangements with the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate.