Chapel of the Ascension, Jerusalem

The Chapel of the Ascension is part of a larger complex with a rich history, transitioning from a Christian church and monastery to an Islamic mosque. Tradition holds that this site marks the spot where Jesus "was carried up into heaven" forty days after his resurrection, leaving behind a footprint on the rock inside the octagonal shrine.

Before Emperor Constantine's conversion to the faith, early Christians commemorated Christ's ascension in a cave on the Mount of Olives, likely used for worship gatherings due to its safety. Around 390, a chapel was built here by Poimenia, a prominent Roman woman; however, the current building was constructed by the Crusaders and later converted into a mosque by Salah ad-Din in 1198, with a mihrab pointing towards Mecca (in the south wall) added shortly after. The presence of a mosque on the site is not as bizarre as it might seem, considering that Islam recognizes Jesus as a prophet.

The adjacent tiny burial crypt is revered by adherents of all three Abrahamic religions: Jews believe it holds the prophetess Huldah from the 7th century BCE, Christians associate it with the 5th-century saint Pelagia the Harlot (or Penitent), and Muslims attribute it to the 8th-century Sufi mystic Rabi'a al-Adawiyya. What is certain is that the Christian tradition of Saint Pelagia is the oldest.