Monastery of the Holy Trinity, Hebron

The Metochion or Monastery of the Holy Trinity with the Church of the Holy Forefathers at Abraham's Oak in Hebron (Russian: Троицкий монастырь и храм св. Праотцев в Хевроне, lit. "Monastery of the Trinity and Church of the Holy Forefathers in Hebron", Hebrew: מנזר השילוש הקדוש בחברון, Arabic: كنيسة المسكوبية) is a Russian Orthodox monastery in Hebron founded in the 20th century on the site of the ancient Oak of Mamre.[1] The lands were acquired by Archimandrite Antonin (Kapustin) for the Russian Church in the 19th century and later expanded.[2] It was held by ROCOR until 1997 when Palestinian police seized it and turned it over to the Moscow Patriarchate.[3][4] Ownership disputes continue.[5]

The monastery's belfry.

Its location is distinct and at a distance of several kilometres from that of Mamre, the site of the terebinth or oak of Abraham described by Josephus, surrounded with an enclosure by Herod the Great, and where Constantine the Great built a basilica in the 4th century. The "Oak of Abraham" situated on the grounds of the Russian compound described in this article owes its veneration to a newer tradition, which appeared sometime between the mid-12th century and the 19th century.