Mauristan is a Persian word meaning 'hospital' or 'hospice', and this plaza on the southern side of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre once housed three medieval churches with attached hospices. One of these churches, St John the Baptist, still exists, although its hospice building is long gone. On the Mauristan's eastern side is the 1898 Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, which incorporates cloisters and a refectory from the 11th-century Church of Mary-la-Latine, which was originally on this site.
The Mauristan is lined by shops, has a 19th-century fountain in its centre and leads to two souqs (one full of butcher's shops) that link to David St. A fabulous view over the Old City's rooftops is available from the Church of the Redeemer .
