The Ethiopian Monastery is located very close to the patriarchate chapel and the Church of Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. It is also called Deir El-Sultan. The Ethiopian community has been residing in Jerusalem for the last two millennia, dating back to the 4th century A.D. Ethiopian legend tells that it was during this visit that the Queen of Sheba, together with King Solomon, produced heirs to both royal houses, one of whom brought the Ark of the Covenant to Ethiopia.
Inside the courtyard of the monastery, there is a medieval cloister erected by the Crusaders. The cupola in the middle of the roof section admits light to St Helena’s crypt below. The ownership of the monastery has been a source of contention between the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Inner rooms of the monastery are decorated with the paintings, depicting Ethiopian saints. One door of the this building open to the courtyard of the church of the Holy Sepulchre.