Abbey of Saint Mary of the Valley of Jehosaphat was a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conce ...

situated east of the

Old City of Jerusalem The Old City of Jerusalem ( he, הָעִיר הָעַתִּיקָה, translit=ha-ir ha-atiqah; ar, البلدة القديمة, translit=al-Balda al-Qadimah; ) is a walled area in East Jerusalem. The Old City is traditionally divided into ...

, founded by

Godfrey of Bouillon Godfrey of Bouillon (, , , ; 18 September 1060 – 18 July 1100) was a French nobleman and pre-eminent leader of the First Crusade. First ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from 1099 to 1100, he avoided the title of king, preferring that of princ ...

on the believed site of the

Tomb of the Virgin Mary ; hy, Սուրբ Մարիամ Աստվածածնի գերեզման), is a Christian tomb in the Kidron Valley – at the foot of Mount of Olives, in Jerusalem – believed by Eastern Christians to be the burial place of Mary, the mother of Jesus. ...

History

The abbey was built near a

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

church containing the shrine of Mary's Assumption. The first monks of the abbey were from Godfrey's entourage. They managed the Church of Saint Mary, the Grotto of the Agony, and the Church of Gethsemane, all located near the Mount of Olives. Arnulf of Chocques renovated the church in 1112.

Morphia Morphine is a strong opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin in poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as a pain medication, and is also commonly used recreationally, or to make other illicit opioids. The ...

, wife of

King Baldwin II Baldwin II, also known as Baldwin of Bourcq or Bourg (; – 21August 1131), was Count of Edessa from 1100 to 1118, and King of Jerusalem from 1118 until his death. He accompanied his cousins Godfrey of Bouillon and Baldwin of Boulogne to the H ...

, was buried there, starting a precedent whereby queens of Jerusalem were buried apart from their husbands, who were entombed in the

Church of the Holy Sepulchre The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, hy, Սուրբ Հարության տաճար, la, Ecclesia Sancti Sepulchri, am, የቅዱስ መቃብር ቤተክርስቲያን, he, כנסיית הקבר, ar, كنيسة القيامة is a church i ...

. In 1120, Baldwin II installed his cousin

Gilduin of Le Puiset Gilduin of Le Puiset (d. between 1130 and 1135) was the son of Hugh I of Le Puiset and Alice of Montlhéry, daughter of Guy I of Montlhéry. Monk at St. Martin-des-Champs, prior at Cluny Abbey, prior at Lurey-le-Bourg, abbot of St. Mary of the V ...

, son of

Hugh I of Le Puiset Hugh I of Le Puiset (died 23 December 1096), son of Everard I of Breteuil and his wife Humberge. In 1067, taking advantage of the weakness of Philip I of France, he seized the royal castle of Puiset and settled there. In 1073, Theobald III, Count ...

, as

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...

. Queen Melisende was also buried there.

History

See also

References

Further reading