Chapel of the Ascension

The Chapel of the Ascension is a small historic shrine on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem that marks a traditional place associated with the Ascension. The site centres on an octagonal chapel built around a small interior stone slab venerated as a footprint.

The compact structure is notable for its octagonal plan and dome; the footprint slab sits beneath the dome and draws religious visitors and pilgrims. The building is set within a small walled enclosure that forms part of the cluster of Christian and Muslim holy sites on the Mount of Olives.

A place of long-standing veneration, the chapel has ancient origins with a sequence of churches and shrines built at the location in the Byzantine, medieval and later periods. Over time the small enclosure and its eastern Christian associations have been preserved alongside neighbouring religious properties.

The chapel sits on the Mount of Olives just east of Jerusalem’s Old City, on a hill slope that overlooks the city and the Kidron Valley; it is within walking distance of other Mount of Olives pilgrimage sites and overlooks urban Jerusalem.

• Proximity to Old City: Located on the Mount of Olives immediately east of Jerusalem's Old City, within the At-Tur neighbourhood and close to other pilgrimage sites.

What to See #

• Octagonal chapel: A small octagonal chapel situated on the Mount of Olives that marks a traditional site for the Ascension; it is a compact stone building forming the central focus of the site.
• Footprint slab: A carved stone slab inside the building traditionally venerated as the footprint of the Ascending figure; it is displayed beneath the chapel's dome and serves as the principal relic at the site.