At the bottom of a leafy central Jerusalem suburb called Rehavia is a building that looks like a small castle or a fortress made out of bright Jerusalem stone which has yellowed over time. It looks elegant against the bright blue sky and cumulus clouds.
Strongly fragranted jasmine spills over the tall wall into the courtyard that you have to duck your head to enter to avoid a head injury. Low entrance ways are typical of many Churches in Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
Inside the Byzantine period complex the cockatoo screeches, his name is Calimera ("good morning" in Greek). It's immediately clear many visitors to the monastery are Palestinian Christians, because Calimera mostly says assalamu alaikum, a formal hello in Arabic or sometimes "hello" but not once Shalom, hello in Hebrew.
The monastery was built in the 11th century, it was originally Georgian and is now Greek Orthodox.
An ancient mosaic floor was uncovered dating back to the 6th century.
The mystery of where the cross came from starts to unfold; in the same main courtyard two towering trees are believed to be related to an original tree planted by Lot from the Bible.
What is believed to be the holy tree was crafted from was based on a triplet seeding of pine, cypress and cedar that Abraham gave to Lot. The tree was planted by Lot at the site of the monastery and watered with waters from the Jordan river. The tree was later used to create the holy cross Jesus carried and was crucified on.
The cross was later buried in the grave of Jesus at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Fragments of the cross were found by Helen, the mother of Emperor Constantine, and were transferred to Rome.
The most important part of the monastery is a door on the left side of the inner church that leads to a narrow hall, which turns into the holiest place - the site of the holy tree.
The highlight of the room is located under a small table covered by a red cloth: a small hole within a decorated bronze plate marks the place there the holy tree once stood. Painted panels surround the walls of the room. They show Lot escaping the destruction of Sodom and Abraham giving Lot the triplet seedling and Lot planting the tree.
Despite the sacred importance of the monastery it's also home to Superior of the Holy Cross Monastery, Reverend Claudio Peppas. He said although it's quiet now it had been a bustling place, withmany monks and a university.
He said he doesn't find himself getting lonely or lost in the big compound. He is one of four monks, two parrots and three dogs that live in the cavernous space.
"Love is the name of God and peace and I pray for the peace. I am again very happy to be in Israel," he said.
Jewish Jerusalemite Menachem Zur, a retired professor of music and a composer writing an opera, told me he'd only just managed to visit the monastery after having seen it his whole life from the outside.
"Any place that is hooked to spirituality is really deep in my heart because that's what I am dealing with in my compositions. I am with spiritual ideas all day, so to come here and see people that are devoted to ideas is very encouraging. It's nice to take a step outside of daily life with all the big scandals we see in the newspaper and see something that is outside the problems that are ongoing parallel. It gives a multidimension to life."
Despite his positive impressions of the monastery, he said he couldn't live a solitary life like a monk and that he needed his friends and culture.
CHECKLIST
Details: For information on visiting the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, go to churchoftheholysepulchre.net. Tourists can visit parts of the monastery from 10.30am to 5pm most days.
