Ratisbonne Monastery () is a monastery in the Rehavia neighborhood of Jerusalem, Israel, established by Marie-Alphonse Ratisbonne, a French convert from Judaism. Work on the building, designed by the French architect M. Daumat, began in 1874 on a barren hill, now in the center of West Jerusalem. History In 1843, together with his older brother Marie-Theodore, himself also a convert to Catholicism, Marie-Alphonse Ratisbonne founded the Congregation of Our Lady of Sion. The aim was to bring about a better understanding between Jews and Christians and to convert Jews. In 1855 he went to Palestine, where he spent the rest of his life working for the conversion of Jews and Muslims. In 1856 he established the Ecce Homo convent for the Sisters of Zion on Via Dolorosa in the Old City. In 1874, he founded the St Pierre de Sion Orphanage in the grounds of this convent. The Institute began as a primary school that also taught languages: French, English, Arabic and Hebrew. Along with this, there was also technical training for those who needed it. The house was dedicated to the service of the local population, and was animated by a spirit that was open to all: Jews and Arabs, both Christian and Muslim. Ratisbonne's goal was to have a vocational school for about 200 pupils. The space available being insufficient, he soon decided to move it to the New City. In 1874 he acquired a plot of land on a hill from a Greek Orthodox Christian to the West of the Old City, not far from Jaffa Gate. The plans were prepared by M. Daumat, and funds came from donations. Construction began the same year. At the death of Ratisbonne in 1884, however, only half of the front building had been completed. By 1917, only the front and the north wing had been built. Architectural features A prominent feature of the building was the small tower in the centre of the front wing. The rooms and halls in the cellar were used as store-rooms and workshops for the various crafts, as well as for the kitchen and dining room. There were classrooms and other workshops on the first floor. The second floor was mainly residential. The rectangular church on the south side was three stories high (about 21 m.). A number of structures were put up in the courtyard: store-rooms, a cowshed, a stable, a pigsty, a chicken