in the 14th century, the Virgin Mary drank water from this village spring, and here is also the place where Mary and Elizabeth met. Therefore, since the 14th century the spring is known as the Fountain of the Virgin. The spring waters are considered holy by some Catholic and Orthodox Christian pilgrims who visit the site and fill their bottles. What looks like a spring is actually the end of an ancient aqueduct. The former Arab inhabitants built a mosque and school on the site, of which a Maqam (shrine) and minaret still remain. An inscribed panel to the courtyard of the mosque dates it to 1828-1829 CE (AH 1244). The spring was repaired and renovated by Baron Edmond de Rothschild. St. Vincent St. Vincent-Ein Kerem is a home for physically or mentally handicapped children. Founded in 1954, St. Vincent-Ein Kerem is a non-profit enterprise under leadership of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. Other churches and religious institutions Catholic The Convent of the Franciscan Sisters The Convent of the Rosary Sisters, built in 1910 Casa Nova, a guesthouse for pilgrims reopened in 2014 Greek Orthodox The Greek Orthodox Church of St John, built in 1894 on the remnants of an ancient church Related sites in the area Monastery of St. John in the Wilderness The Monastery of St. John in the Wilderness, containing a cave associated with the saint, is located close to Ein Karem and Moshav Even Sapir. Notable residents Shlomo Aronson (1936–2018), Israeli landscape architect Erel Margalit (born 1961), Israeli high-tech and social entrepreneur Naomi Henrik (1920-2018), Israeli sculptor See also 1948 Palestine War Beit HaKerem, a biblical fortress in Judah identified with either the later Herodium site, Ramat Rachel, or Ein Kerem Carem, a town mentioned only in the Septuagint Ein Kerem Agricultural School Depopulated Palestinian locations in Israel List of villages depopulated during the Arab–Israeli conflict Hadassah Medical Center References Bibliography pp. 344 ff) Further reading Olivier Rota, « L’exode arabe d’Eïn-Kerem en 1948. La relation des événements par les sœurs de Notre-Dame de Sion, St. Jean in Montana », in Tsafon, n°46, winter 2003, pp. 179–195. External links Welcome To 'Ayn Karim, from Palestine Remembered Ayn Karim, Zochrot Ein Kerem (Ein Karem), biblewalks Survey of Western Palestine, Map 17: IAA, Wikimedia commons History of Israel by location Historic sites in Jerusalem Holy cities New Testament places Arab villages depopulated during the