Saturday, February 28, 2026.
1:00 p.m. – 10:00 a.m.
An additional NIS 30 for museum entrance on an open tour.
Minimum 10 people (the museum will not open if there are fewer than 10 people).
Includes entry to the museum on a private tour.
Sergei's Yard, 3 Monbez Street.
Russian Pilgrimage in the 19th Century in the Holy Land
In the 19th century, Jerusalem remained a small, poor city on the outskirts of the Ottoman Empire, but Christian countries were very interested in it. After the Russo-Turkish Crimean War (1853-1856), the city was filled with Europeans and came to life. Among other things, Russians also appeared there… An entire Russian city is being built on the former Maidan Square!
I invite you to visit the Russian Compound in Jerusalem. We will visit the museum...
Russian Pilgrimage in the 19th Century in the Holy Land
In the 19th century, Jerusalem remained a small, poor city on the outskirts of the Ottoman Empire, but Christian countries were very interested in it. After the Russo-Turkish Crimean War (1853-1856), the city was filled with Europeans and came to life. Among other things, Russians also appeared there… An entire Russian city is being built on the former Maidan Square!
I invite you to visit the Russian Compound in Jerusalem. We will visit the new Sergiy's Courtyard Museum, which will be opened especially for us, and we will also take a tour around all the "Russian buildings."
Our story begins in 1847, when the Russians opened a religious and spiritual society in Jerusalem.
We will briefly talk, inside the museum, about the periods that the Russians had in the Holy Land:
⬤ The beginning of the association, even before the Russian Compound was established.
⬤ The first pilgrimage of the Russian Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich.
⬤ Purchase of land northwest of the Old City.
⬤ Antonin Kapustin – The Russian Spiritual Society, in its heyday, 1865-1894.
⬤ The story of the construction of Sergei's courtyard.
⬤ Enjoy the paintings of artist Nikolai Koslev, which tell about the central figures in the New Testament.
⬤ Hear about what happened in the dining room:
Let's see the differences between today's hotel, compared to the 19th century hotel, which we see in the photos:
⬤ Which saints are painted on the church walls?
⬤ The story of the meeting of Jesus' mother with the angel - through a special image that comes from a vineyard.
A huge pillar inside a depression in the ground that, to this day, is unclear as to what building it was used for.
⬤ The association building became the Magistrate's Court.
⬤ The Russian Hospital has become part of the Jerusalem Municipality that deals with parking.
These two buildings were sold to Israel by the Russians in 1964.
In the 19th century, all consulates were located in Jerusalem and not in Tel Aviv as they are today.
Heard about the "Orange Deal" from 1964, a deal in which Israel bought land and buildings from the Russians - part of this deal was paid for in oranges.
From Sunday to Thursday you can enter the museum, which requires an entrance fee.
The decision whether to enter the museum or not is up to the group.
The history of the building
Examples of what you see in the museum:
Guide details:
Guide to historical sites and Doctor of Archaeology
◾️ Master's degree in philosophy at the State University of Yekaterinburg.
◾️Guide course.
◾️PhD from Bar Ilan University, "Jewish Antiquities in the Collection of Antonin Kapustin."
For the purpose of my research, I went to the archives of St. Petersburg University and read Kapustin's diaries there, and that's how I actually completed my doctoral research.
