Jerusalem’s Patriarch Theophilus III led a night Divine Liturgy on Mount Tabor in Galilee to mark the Feast of the Transfiguration. The service was held outdoors at the site that Christian tradition associates with one of the central events of Jesus Christ’s earthly life, according to the website of the Jerusalem Patriarchate.

Church hierarchs and clergy from various Orthodox countries joined local faithful and pilgrims for the celebration. The liturgy was accompanied by Byzantine chant performed by the choir from Acre. Greek Ambassador to Israel Maya Solomonou also attended the feast.

Orthodox Christians observe the Transfiguration on August 19. According to the Gospel accounts, shortly before his Passion, Jesus went up the mountain with the apostles Peter, James, and John. There, Christ was transfigured: his face shone and his clothes became white as light. Moses and Elijah appeared with him, and a voice from God the Father was heard from heaven: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

The feast is seen as a revelation of Christ’s divine nature, while also serving as a reminder of humanity’s spiritual transformation. In Orthodox tradition, it is also linked to preparing the apostles for the coming suffering and Resurrection of the Savior.

Mount Tabor, located in Galilee, rises to about 600 meters. While the Gospels do not name it directly as the place of the Transfiguration, ancient Christian tradition identifies Tabor with the event.

On the southern part of the summit stands a Greek Orthodox monastery of the Transfiguration, under the jurisdiction of the Jerusalem Church. The current church was built in the 19th century on the site of an earlier Byzantine church. The monastery holds annual celebrations for the feast, including the outdoor night Divine Liturgy.

This year’s celebration came two months after the death of Archimandrite Ilarion, who served as abbot for nearly four decades and made a major contribution to the monastery’s restoration. During his tenure, the temple was decorated with Byzantine frescoes, the iconostasis was renewed, and the monastery grounds were improved.

After the night service, a morning Divine Liturgy was also celebrated in the restored monastery church. The feast was marked the same day in other churches of the Jerusalem Patriarchate, including in Ramallah and in Gethsemane.