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The Church of the Ascension was built in 1870 by Archimadrite Antonin (Kapustin) on the summit of the Mount of Olives. A community of pious maidens that was initaited here by Father Parthenius was formally acknowledged by the Holy Synod in 1906. During the First World War the convent was evacuated by the Turkish authorities and used as a military hospital. However, 17 days later the sisters were given their home back, thanks to the intervention of Patriarch Damianos. In 1924 The Russian community on the Mount of Olives was officially recognized as a convent. Today, the convent spreads over 54,000 square meters, surrounded by a 1.5km long wall. It has a large olive grove which supplies the sisters with olives and oil. The main church of the convent has a Byzantine style, and it is decorated with murals painted by the nuns themselves. The Chapel of St. John the Baptist stands where his Head was found, with a cavity in the ancient floor marking the actual place.