Alonei Abba: Templar Church, History and Nature

Alonei Abba offers two distinct themes to consider when planning your trip: the Templar Church and the town’s history, and a walking trail in the nearby Alonei Abba Nature Reserve. Day visits with guided tours, conversations with artists, and workshops add to what’s on offer. When choosing your accommodation, you can weigh up whether cultural and historical sites or time on a nature trail matters more to you.

Templar Church and Town History

The Templar Church in Alonei Abba was built in 1915 by a group of Templar Christians who, among other things, founded Alonei Abba-Waldheim. The building thus connects the town’s history with its Templar past.

Alonei Abba is named after paratrooper Abba Berdichev, one of the founding group’s early members. The Nazis murdered him while he was active in Germany. The town’s name thus commemorates someone from this early circle, while the church was built by the group.

Visiting the Church and Daytime Activities

The historic church reopened to visitors in September 2025. Check the current access rules before your visit. Hannah Levav’s gallery is located in a Templar house opposite the church.

Day visits in Alonei Abba can include a guided tour on site, conversations with artists, and workshops. Check the current arrangements in advance. This lets you plan the daytime activities separately from the question of access to the church.

Walking Trail in the Nature Reserve

A 1.5-kilometer circular trail runs through oak woodland and meadows in the nearby Alonei Abba Nature Reserve. The route is described as easy and suitable for families. Its circular layout and stated length give the nature trail a distinct focus alongside the church visit and daytime activities in Alonei Abba.

Archaeological Sites in the Northern District

The broader travel destination of the Northern District is home to the archaeological sites of Tel Hazor and Tel Megiddo. At Tel Hazor, visits focus on the upper city. The biblical tell preserves significant remains of a city with biblical associations. Tel Hazor includes Solomon’s Gate, with six chambers and two towers dating to the 10th century BCE. A Canaanite palace was used by the kings of Hazor in the 14th and 13th centuries BCE. Tel Hazor also preserves significant remains of an underground water collection system, an ingenious feat of engineering adapted to the geography. Three-meter-wide steps are cut into the walls of the vertical shaft; the excavated shaft is 45 meters deep.

Also in the broader travel destination of the Northern District is Tel Megiddo, a biblical tell with significant remains of a city with biblical associations. Its Early Bronze Age temple complex is exceptional in terms of the number of its temples, the continuity of cult activity, and the documented ritual practices. The orthogonal city plan from the Iron Age has few parallels in the Levant. Thus, Tel Hazor is notable for its water engineering, gate, and palace, while Tel Megiddo is characterized by its temple complex and city plan.

Discover more destinations: Shefer, Chorazin, Gan Ner, Ramat Gan, Ein Tzurim, Hashmona'im, Khavat Yair, Yuval.

View the broader travel overview: Israel.