The Holy Monastery of the Ascension, the Monastery to which we refer, lies on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, across from the actual place where the Lord Ascended, a place which has been held by Muslims since the 7th century to the present moment.

The Founder of the Monastery was Archimandrite Ioakim, originally from Chios, who took responsibility of the Monastery in 1987. In 1991 he began building a large Church, which was unfortunately demolished a year later. Meanwhile, the Founder had constructed a smaller underground Church, which was saved miraculously. Archimandrite Ioakim passed away in the year 2009, the day of the feast of the Ascension.

In May 2009, Monk Achillios took responsibility of the Monastery. He has been living in the Monastery since then, with a small communal sisterhood of eight nuns, coming from Greece and other Orthodox countries.

The Caretaker (Abbot) of the Holy Monastery of the Ascension
Monk Achillios