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Russian Church of St. Mary Magdalene (81 pictures, 1 videos)
A 19th century church on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, in the Garden of Gethsemane. It was built by Czar Alexander III in 1888 and has a distinctive Russian architectural style, with seven golden onion-shaped domes and multiple levels. The Russian artist Sergei Ivanov (1864-1910) was commissioned to paint the impressive large murals which decorate the church today with scenes from St. Mary Magdalene's life.
In the Crypt below the church lie the remains of Czar Alexander's sister-in-law, the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Fyodorovna, and of her companion Sister Barbara, who were killed in the Bolshevik revolution of 1917. They were canonized as Martyr Saints in 1981 and their relics were moved to marble sarcophagi in the main section of the church. Princess Andrew of Greece (also known as Princess Alice of Battenberg), niece of the Grand Duchess Elizabeth, expressed her wishes to be buried here and her remains also lie today in the crypt. Today the church serves the women's convent of St. Mary Magdalene under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad.
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