Alexander's Courtyard

Alexander's Courtyard, also known as the Alexander compound, is a group of historic buildings in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem registered to the government of the Russian Empire. The compound is named in honor of Alexander III of Russia, and is the closest Russian property to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre being only about 70 m (230 ft) away from Golgotha. The complex was built by the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society in 1896, and currently includes the Threshold of the Gates of Judgment, the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky, archaeological excavations, a small museum, and other attractions.

The land of the compound was acquired from Coptic clergy in 1859 through the efforts of the first Russian consul in Jerusalem, Vladimir Dorgobuzhinov. The land was originally intended for the building of the Russian consulate, but it was later decided that it would be more convenient for the consulate to be in the Russian Compound, which is outside of the Old City. In 1881, after Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich took a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, many antiquities were found to be preserved on this site, and extensive archaeological excavations began here under the direction of Antonin Kapustin. Archaeologists Conrad Schick, Charles Wilson, Melchior de Vogé, and Charles Simon Clermont-Ganneau took part in the excavations. In 1883, a fragment of the second Jerusalem encircling wall with the Threshold of the Gates of Judgment, built between the 5th-4th centuries BCE, was discovered, along with the arch of the Temple of Hadrian, fragments of walls and the remains of two columns of the basilica of the Church of the Resurrection from the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great, as well as the remains of other structures from the 7th-8th centuries. Based on the results of the work done, Konrad Schick was awarded the Order of St. Stanislaus, 2nd degree. After the completion of the excavations, construction of the compound began directly above the site and was completed in 1891. On 22 May 1896, a house church in honor of St. Alexander Nevsky was cons

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