The Russian Orthodox Tower and Church of the Ascension

The Mount of Olives bring visitors on Israel Christian tours from far and wide for many reasons and the Russian Orthodox Tower and Church of the Ascension are certainly one of them. At the top of the Mount of Olives, the Tower of the Ascension stands tall and can be seen from miles away, marking the place where Jesus ascended up to Heaven (Luke 24:50-51 and Acts 1:9). It is quite picturesque, standing in the middle of a grove of olive and fir trees just off o the main road. Though few Russian Christians visited this site (built by the Russian Orthodox over a century ago) at one time, it is now a very popular destination. Visitors delight in the restored paintings in one of the chapels, which were originally done by nuns over 100 years ago. It is important to note that if you plan to take an Israel tour that the tower is only open on Ascension Day, which is 40 days after Easter.