The name is associated with the Arab village of Deir Rafat (Arabic - "ruins of a monastery"), which once existed nearby, in the place of which the village of Givat Shemesh is now located.

The land belonging to the village was acquired by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem in 1855. In 1925, here, on the site of the ruins of a Byzantine church, the construction of a modern monastery began. In 1927, after a powerful earthquake and the completion of construction, the monastery church was consecrated as the church “Regina Palaestinae” - in the hope that the Virgin Mary will continue to guard the monastery.

At the entrance to the monastery there is a bronze statue of the Virgin Mary with a crown adorned with 12 gilded stars; even today it is a kind of symbol of this place.

An incredibly large accumulation of stalactites and stalagmites can be seen in the most famous cave in Israel - Sorek Cave, which was discovered in the middle of the last century.
Both stalactites and stalagmites were formed in this cave many thousands  years ago, some almost three hundred years, many of them are actively growing now. Traveling through the cave, it seems that this is a fairy-tale world where fairy-tale heroes live. The cave has lighting, the color of which changes every few minutes. Now blue, then green, then red lighting emphasizes the beauty of this place and makes it even more magical.
Before getting inside, guests are invited to visit the small cinema, where they show a film about this unusual attraction.
Traveling through this cave will give unforgettable impressions to adults, and for children Sorek Cave will become a real fairy tale, being in which you don’t want to return to reality.

This monastery was founded over 100 years ago by Trappist monks. One of their beliefs is that the name of God cannot be pronounced in the sua. The monks currently residing in the monastery spend their days mainly on physical work done in silence. There are special rooms in the monastery where they can talk, but the monks themselves try to do this as little as possible. At Latrunsky Monastery ptoduced the world-famous production: wine and olive oil and it can be bought in a nearby store. 

The church, which is located in the village of Abu Ghosh, still remembers the crusaders - it was built in those days. Besides her, here you can admire the mosque and the monastery. The “Monastery of the Resurrection,” as it is called today, belongs to the Order of the Benedictines.

Beit Jamal is a Catholic monastery founded by Salesian monks in 1919.
The monastery has a small shop that offers olive oil and red wine locally produced.
There is a small concert hall where concerts take place on weekends.
Under the monastery very beautiful Venetian mosaic and ancient graves dating from about the 1st century were found  .
The views around the monastery are a stunning panorama of the El Valley and the western slopes of the Judean Mountains.
In Arabic and Hebrew, the place is known as Beit Jamal. The name is translated from Arabic as a  "beauty house."
Christian tradition holds that Raban Gamliel, St. the first martyr Stephen and Nicodemus (one of those who removed the body of Jesus from the Cross).
Israel’s first meteorological station was established in Beit Jamal in 1919 and is still working.