Orthodox Gorny Monastery is located in Ein Karem in the south-west of Jerusalem. The monastery, which is responsible for Russian spiritual mission - a small corner of Russia in the Holy Land.

Since ancient times, there lay a village, surrounded by gardens: Ein Karem in Arabic means "a source in the vineyard." Christian tradition holds that it is here to his cousin Elizabeth came from Nazareth, a young Virgin Mary. Luke described the striking scene of the meeting. Elizabeth, who was pregnant the future John the Baptist, when he saw Mary, already wearing a heart of Christ, joyfully exclaims: "And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? "(Luke 1:43).

In 1869, the head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission, Archimandrite Antonin was accompanied in the vicinity of Jerusalem, member of the State Council of Russia Peter Melnikov. Ascetic told the guest about his conception - buy in Ein Karem for the Russian portion of the Holy Land, on which two thousand years ago stepped Virgin. Melnikov hit on the idea and organized a fund-raising committee. Large donations were made industrialist Nikolai Putilov, traders Eliseev brothers, their contribution to make simple Russian pilgrims. After a long bidding with the dragoman (interpreter) of the French Embassy Dzhelyadom Khan, who owned the land, olive plantation on the mountainside was purchased. Father Antonin, in accordance with the text of Scripture called her "Gornji Grad Judas", or mining.

It was established female monastic community. On a beautiful slope grew a small stone church of the Kazan icon of the Mother of God. In the monastery established a strict order of new nuns: every one of them, receiving an allotment, undertook to build there himself at his own expense a house with outbuildings, to pitch around the garden planted cypress and almonds. Very soon, the monastery became a flourishing oasis.

In 1911 there began the construction of a large cathedral, but World War destroyed all the plans. Palestine, then part of the Ottoman Porte, and its power even nuns were expelled from the mountain - they were forced to temporarily leave Egypt, in Alexandria. In 1948, after the establishment of Israel, the monastery was handed over to the Moscow Patriarchate. Construction of the temple was resumed in 2003, four years later it was completed. In 2012, the Cathedral of All Saints Resplendent in the Russian Land, solemnly consecrated the Patriarch of Moscow Kirill.

At the heart of Ein Karem remained a source from which is believed to be the water took the Blessed Virgin. From here the road leads to the Horn. Resident looks unusual, but extremely picturesque: there are no buildings with cells, the hill immersed in the greenery scattered small houses of nuns.

At the entrance to the church of Our Lady of Kazan, you can see the magnificent flower carpet hosted by sisters. To the right of the entrance - a stone, near which, according to tradition, John the Baptist was preaching. On the border with the neighboring Catholic church of the Visitation of the cave temple is dedicated to St. John the Baptist, consecrated in 1987.