In the photo – Sergei’s Courtyard (then and now), a building that’s part of the Russian Lot complex in the center of Jerusalem.
The building was inaugurated in 1890 and named after Prince Sergei. The Emperor of Russia, Alexander III, attended the building’s inauguration. He visited the country at that time to attend the inauguration of the Church of Mary Magdalene (the one from the song) on the Mount of Olives.
Sergei’s Courtyard was used as a hostel for the Russian pilgrims who came to the Holy Land, and around the same time, the Alexander complex was built to the north.
The buildings were built in the Renaissance style. In 1914, at Easter, about 14,000 Russian pilgrims visited Jerusalem (some of them probably wearing sweatpants, leather shoes, and pouches). This was the last time such several Russian pilgrims were seen in the city.
A few months later, the First World War broke out. In the February revolution of 1917, the czar and his family were executed. After the communists came to power and turned Russia into the Soviet Union, pilgrimage stopped almost completely.
After the establishment of the state, the Russian Lot complex – the police station, the detention center, and the court were leased to the state, so Sergei’s Courtyard was used by the Ministry of Agriculture.
Afterward, long negotiations have been taking place to settle the matter of ownership regarding the complex. The heirs of Prince Sergei demanded that the ownership be settled on the spot, and the general guardian managed the building and the complex.
Since then, the complex has had many different legal statuses.
At the beginning of 2009, a part of the complex was transferred to the Russian government, as its legal owner, and in March 2011, the Russian government said it would evacuate the Ministry of Agriculture from the building, which was a condition for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Moscow.
The building was vacated immediately, within one day.
In July 2017, the complex was renovated under new ownership and reinaugurated.
This is Jerusalem, pilgrims next, holy places, legal battles, and international interests.
Maybe it’s good that Sergei’s Courtyard was returned to the Russian government, thus Putin and the Russian army’s invasion for the liberation of the complex was prevented. This could have triggered the closure of the pedestrian street and traffic jams at the nearby Burks Musa, (cheese or spinach, with pickles, tahini, and hard-boiled egg).
May we get to enjoy quiet days and a peaceful routine.
Shabbat of peace to the near and far.
צילום: פאבל פלטונוב
