The St. Nicholas Trail - Old City ends at Hosh Mar Jiries, a complex of houses built over an old monastery believed to have once been a church dedicated to Saint George. According to oral tradition, the Monastery of Saint George was built sometime between the 16th and 19th centuries.

Between 1921 and 1925, during the reconstruction of St. Nicholas Church by the residents of Beit Jala, a crypt dating back to the Byzantine period was discovered beneath the church. It is believed that this crypt connects Hosh Mar Jiries with St. Nicholas Church.

Located in the Al-Kanisa neighborhood of Beit Jala’s Old City, the courtyard is considered one of the oldest residential structures in the city. Following restoration and rehabilitation works, the courtyard was renovated and adapted to serve cultural heritage preservation objectives and, most importantly, improve the living conditions of the local residents.

The courtyard is jointly owned by the Abu Rumman, Khamis, Mansour, Qabar, and Zorob families. According to oral historical accounts, between the 18th and 19th centuries, the courtyard was rented to clergy affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church, who used it as a school to teach Christianity to the local population.

Beit Jala Municipality, in cooperation with the Centre for Cultural Heritage Preservation, has made significant efforts to restore and rehabilitate the courtyard.