Church of the Holy Sepulchre
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher (also called the Church of the Anastasis, Church of the Resurrection and the Holy is the most sacred Christian site in the world. The church is located in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. The Church encompasses the last four (some say five) Stations of the Cross along the Via Dolorosa. These holy sites were where Jesus was crucified at Golgotha (Calvary); died on the cross and was laid to rest in a burial cave. It is also where he was resurrected three days after his passing. The church has been a pilgrimage site since the 4th century and today the Sepulcher is visited by Christians and non-Christians from across the globe.
In the 4th century Helena, mother of Christian Roman Emperor Constantine traveled to the Holy Land. She set about identifying religious sites and having churches erected to mark these sacred places. It is said that Helena rediscovered Jesus’ tomb and the “true cross”. Two connecting churches were built – one above the tomb and the other around the traditional hill of Golgotha. The church was consecrated in 335 AD. The structure of the church has changed and been extended over the years. It has suffered from human destruction, earthquake and fire. Major rebuilding took place in the 11th century and the early 1800s. Elements of Byzantine, medieval and Crusader architecture can clearly be seen in the structure.
Control of the church is shared primarily by the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Armenian Apostolic with the Coptic Orthodox, Ethiopian Tewahedo and Syriac Orthodox churches playing a lesser role. Although the Anglicans and Protestants have no permanent role in the running of the Holy Sepulchre it remains a sacred site for all Christians. The church holds many small altars, shrines and magnificent artwork. It is a cavernous structure that can hold up to 8,000 people.
Church of Nativity
The Church of the Nativity is the most important landmark in Bethlehem and marks the site where the nativity took place. It was in Bethlehem just over 2,000 years ago that Mary gave birth to baby Jesus. Today Bethlehem is a thriving city in the Palestinian Authority West Bank approximately 10 km south of Jerusalem and the Nativity Church is the city’s top attraction. In 2012 the Bethlehem Church of the Nativity was added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites.
The Bible tells us that Mary and Joseph left their home in Nazareth and traveled to Bethlehem. The Romans had decided to carry out a census and people were required to travel to their ancestral family home to register. As Joseph was from the House of David and Bethlehem was David’s city the couple had no choice but to make the long journey despite Mary being pregnant.
During Jesus’ lifetime, it was common for homes to be built close to a cave they could use to house their animals. When Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem and found no room available in the inn they were offered to spend the night in the adjacent cave with the animals. With no other options, and Mary about to give birth, they settled down in the manger. Less than a century after Jesus’ death Christians had identified the site of his birth as a cave in Bethlehem.
In the 4th century, the first Christian Roman Emperor Constantine and his mother Helena commissioned the construction of a church to be built around the sacred cave of the nativity. The church was dedicated in 339 AD. In the 6th century, the church suffered fire damage and Emperor Justinian replaced the church with a larger, more ornate one. In 614 the Persians invaded the Holy Land and destroyed most of the churches. Luckily the Nativity Church was spared thanks to a mural in the church depicting the Three Wise Men (Three Magi) who were dressed in Persian apparel of Zoroastrian priests.
The Crusaders arrived in the Holy Land in the 12th century and during that time added twin towers that have not survived and murals; traces of which can still be seen. Two Crusader kings were crowned in the church. In the 1600s the invading Turks looted and damaged the church. In 1482 a new roof was paid for by King Edward IV of England. In the 1800s the church suffered damage from earthquakes and was later looted under Ottoman rule for its marble and lead which was melted down to make bullets.
In 1847 the Silver Star which marked the site of the Nativity was stolen and this sparked an international conflict over control of the Christian sites of the Holy Land as the French, Turkish Ottomans, and Rome vied for power. In the end, they agreed on shared custody of the Nativity Church between the Armenian Church, Catholics, and Greek Orthodox. The Greeks were made custodians of the Grotto of the Nativity. Each of the custodian denominations cares for a specific area of the structure and they all hold services in the church.
Western Wall Jerusalem
The Western Wall stands in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City. The Kotel, also known as the Western Wall and the Wailing Wall is a surviving small section of the retaining wall constructed under Herod the Great as part of expansions made to the Jewish Second Temple (516 BC-70 AD). The original wall would have encased the natural hill known today as Temple Mount (Mount Moriah) where the Temple stood.
The Temple Mount was and is the most sacred Jewish site in the world. It was on the Mount that Adam was created and where Abraham bound his son Isaac in offering to God. It was also on Temple Mount that the First Holy Temple was built by Solomon in 957 BC and destroyed by Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC. Not long after that in 516 BC the Second Holy Temple was built on the same site and was destroyed in 70 AD by the Romans during a Jewish uprising.
The Romans completely destroyed the Second Temple including the surrounding buildings and walls. The Temple ruins were hidden for centuries underneath the rubble and new structures were built on top of the broken remains. Only one small section of the outer retaining wall remained above ground and untouched. That 485-meter section of wall is sacred to Jews who see it as a connection with the Holy Temple Mount. Over the years the wall has fallen under the jurisdiction of many rulers but the Jews have maintained their connection to Temple Mount and the wall. It is called the Wailing Wall as Jews weep for the destroyed Temple.
Through the centuries and until the end of the British Mandate in 1948 Jews were not allowed to pray freely at the Western Wall. Between 1948 and 1967 no Jews were allowed into the Jordanian-controlled Old City so for nineteen years no Jews visited the Western Wall. Following the Six Day War Jerusalem was unification and the Jews had unhindered access to the Kotel for the first time.
Mount Zion Jerusalem
Mount Zion is a broad low hill adjacent to the south side of the Old City of Jerusalem. Mount Zion connects seamlessly with the Armenian Quarter of the Old City via the Zion Gate. For hundreds of years, the mount has had religious significance. Mt. Zion played an important role in the Bible and Second Temple Jerusalem (516 BC - 70 AD). In the Hebrew Bible the name Zion was used to describe the City of David, Temple Mount and Jerusalem.
Over the years Zion has become symbolic of the Holy Land as a whole and Jerusalem in particular. Mount Zion lies outside the present Old City walls that were built about 500 years ago under Suleiman the Magnificent. Legend has it that when the Sultan heard that the site of David’s Tomb had not been included within the city walls he had the architects executed. There are two Muslim graves near the Jaffa Gate that are said to be the graves of the two luckless architects.
David’s Tomb - Mount Zion’s role in the Hebrew and Christian religious traditions has earned it great significance. Sites on Mount Zion include David’s Tomb, where King David is said to be buried. His cenotaph is housed in a small room on the entrance level of a building. On the upper level of the same building is a room believed to be where Jesus had his Last Supper. The Upper Room - This room was built in the 12th century and has the typical Gothic vault ceiling. The Upper Room of the Last Supper or Cenacle was at one time a mosque dedicated to the Prophet David (Nebi Daoud). You can still see the minaret above the building; a prayer niche (mihrab) and Koran passages on the stained glass windows.
Dormition Abbey - One of the largest structures on Mount Zion was the Byzantine-era Hagia Zion Church which stood where the Dormition Abbey stands today. The abbey stands where Mary is thought to have passed away. St Peter in Gallicantu - On the eastern slope of Mt. Zion is the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu. The church is built on the site where Jesus was imprisoned and brought before the High Priest Caiaphas after his arrest by the Romans. On the roof of the church, you can see a rooster weather vane; this recalls Peter’s denial of Jesus three times before the rooster crowed.
Other Mt. Zion Attractions - On Mount Zion there is a small memorial dedicated to the victims of the Holocaust. Another Mount Zion museum is dedicated to Israeli sculptor David Palombo. You can visit the Protestant cemetery on Mt. Zion and the Catholic cemetery where Oscar Schindler is buried. Schindler saved 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust.
Manger Square
Manger Square is one of the top attractions in Bethlehem, a Palestinian city in the West Bank 10km south of Jerusalem. The Square is flanked by two other major attractions – the Church of St Catherine and the Church of Nativity. Manger Square takes its name from the adjacent Church of the Nativity that enshrines the Grotto the Nativity (the “manger”) where Jesus was born although the square itself is not mentioned in the Bible. As the heart of Bethlehem’s Old City Manger Square is the center for all tourist activity and the starting point of most Bethlehem tours.
Manger Square is also the site of many events throughout the year. Flanking the Square are the 4th century Church of Nativity; Church of St. Catherine; the Mosque of Omar; Bethlehem Municipality building; souvenir stores and the Bethlehem Peace Center. During the Ottoman-era Manger Square was an open space used as a fresh produce and livestock market. In 1929 the market was moved to a new location in the Old City. In 1998 and 2000 the Square was renovated. Manger Square has been pedestrian-only since the recent renovations and is a meeting place for tourists and locals. The square has trees that prove shade; benches and fountains.
Shepherds' Field Chapel
Most Westerners and all Christians are familiar with the famous carol “While shepherds watched their flocks by night” a hymen based on Luke 2:8-14. The biblical passage describes a group of shepherds watching over their animals in a field at night. An angel appears before the shepherds and tells them that the Savior, Christ the Lord has been born in a manger in nearby Bethlehem. The shepherds then make their way to Bethlehem and see the newborn babe in the manger. According to the description in the Bible, three possible locations were identified for the site of the Shepherds’ Field; all are around the predominantly Christian Bethlehem suburb of Beit Sahur. One site east of Beit Sahur is marked by a red-domed Greek Orthodox church; a second site further to the east is marked by a Protestant church and a third site on the northern side of Beit Sahur is in Siyar el-Ghanam and is the most widely accepted site for the Shepherds’ Field.
Garden of Gethsemane
The Garden of Gethsemane is planted at the foot of the Mount of Olives facing the Kidron Valley and Jerusalem’s Old City walls. The name of the garden is Hebrew for “oil press” and the garden is planted with olive trees, some dating back hundreds of years. The trees are still harvested for their olives each year just as they were in biblical times. Some of the olive trees you can see today in the Garden of Gethsemane are more than 900 years old. Archaeologists and botanists have studied the garden’s olive trees and concluded that they may have been here when Jesus visited the garden. 2000 years ago the garden would have been an olive grove with an olive press nearby.
In the Gospel of John, we read of how Jesus came here to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane with his disciples after the Last Supper. It was here that Jesus was betrayed by Judas and arrested by the Romans. In the garden, Jesus agonized over the fate he knew awaited him. For this reason, it is also called the site of the Agony in the Garden or the Agony of Christ. Jesus would have known the garden well. It lies on the natural route between the Temple Mount and the village of Bethany and he would have often retreated to this olive grove in prayer and contemplation.
The Bible tells us that Jesus was familiar with the garden which made it easy for Judas to seek him out and direct the Romans to arrest him. “…a place named Gethsemane and he (Jesus) said to his disciples, stay here while I pray…” (Gospel of Matthew). “Jesus’ anguish at Gethsemane was so deep that his sweat was as drops of blood falling to the ground.” (Gospel of Luke)
The Garden of Gethsemane is identified as the site where Christ went with his disciples on the eve of the Last Supper to pray before his arrest and subsequent crucifixion. Although the garden is best known as the place where Jesus prayed on the eve of his arrest it is also the site of Mary’s dormition and assumption. The Eastern Orthodox Church teaches that the Virgin Mary died in the Garden of Gethsemane. Mary’s Tomb is within a 12th-century church nearby. The church bears beautiful murals which tell of Mary’s death and burial by the disciples.
As early as 333AD Christian pilgrims visited the Garden of Gethsemane. The travel journal of a 4th-century pilgrim of Bordeaux describes Jerusalem and the Garden of Gethsemane as being at the foot of the Mount of Olives. The Church of All Nations is further up the mount and there is another olive grove garden next to the church. This church was constructed in the 1920s and features precious floor-to-ceiling mosaics depicting biblical scenes from the Garden of Gethsemane including Jesus praying and Judas’ betrayal of Jesus. There are alternate sites where Jesus might have prayed on the night of his arrest.
Next to the Church of All Nations, there is a garden where the “Rock of the Agony” is located and this is a possible location of the Garden of Gethsemane. The Eastern Orthodox Church holds that the garden was near the Tomb of Mary; the Greek Orthodox Church believes it was further east and the Russian Orthodox consider the orchard next to the Church of Maria Magdalene to be the true Garden of Gethsemane.
Room of the Last Supper
The Room of the Last Supper (Upper Room; Coenaculum or Cenacle) is the traditional site where Jesus ate his last meal with his disciples. The event took place on the second floor of a building on Mount Zion, Jerusalem. The building we know today as the Cenacle dates back to the Crusader era but archaeological excavations show that houses would have stood here during Jesus lifetime. On the ground level beneath the Room of the Last Supper is the Tomb of King David.
The Bible tells how Jesus and his disciples ate the Passover meal here on the eve of Jesus’ arrest. The New Testament describes other events which occurred in the Cenacle including Jesus washing the disciples’ feet; Jesus’ appearance after his resurrection and the descent of the Holy Ghost to the disciples at Pentecost marking the birth of the Christian church.
Beneath the Tomb of David archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a Byzantine structure destroyed in the 7th century by invading Persians. In the 12th century, Crusaders rebuilt the site. In 1187 the Crusaders left Jerusalem and Franciscans became the Cenacle custodians. The Ottomans arrived in the 16th century and converted the Upper Room into a mosque. Today Jews hold the ground floor Tomb of David sacred and Christians visit the Upper Room.
The rectangular Cenacle has a rib-vaulted ceiling supported by slender freestanding marble columns. The unique column capitals are mostly 12th century or Gothic in style. One scene carved into the capitals depicts a mother bird flanked by two young birds picking at her heart. This symbolizes charity and sacrifice. An Arabic wall inscription from 1524 AD describes how Sultan Suleiman turned the church into a mosque. From the same era, there is a stained-glass window featuring Arabic Koran verses; a Mihrab (prayer niche) and a staircase to the minaret. A stairway (no longer in use) descends to the Tomb of David and is covered by a small dome supported by marble columns.
Byzantine Cardo Jerusalem
The Cardo Maximus was the name given to the north-south thoroughfare of Roman and Byzantine cities. “Cardo” means heart and the Cardo ran through the “heart” of the city. In the 130s AD, Hadrian had Jerusalem rebuilt and like other Roman cities, Jerusalem’s street plan included a Cardo. It was a paved, 22.5 meter-wide road running southward from the Damascus Gate.
Later during the Byzantine era in the 6th century AD, Emperor Justinian had the Jerusalem Cardo extended taking it further south all the way to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Zion Gate. The street may have been used for ceremonial processions from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. For the entire length of the Cardo, the road was flanked with colonnades, covered walkways and a shaded arcade.
Today visitors to the Old City of Jerusalem can wander through the Jewish Quarter and look down on the southern part of the excavated Cardo. You can see the tall, thick columns, ornate capitals, the arcade where merchants would have stood, and the large flagstones that paved the Cardo. 500 years after the original Cardo was constructed the Crusaders built a bazaar along part of the road. Today these Crusader-era stores have been restored and once again serve their original function.
The shopping section of the Cardo is beneath a beautiful vaulted ceiling and the modern stores are housed in the ancient Crusader shops that line the Cardo. The stores sell locally made jewelry, religious artifacts, artwork, and other merchandise. Other sections of the Cardo are no longer visible having been covered by new structures over the years.
The famous Madaba Map, a floor mosaic found in a 6th-century Byzantine church in Jordan depicts the Holy Land with the Cardo as its main artery. The Madaba Map is the oldest surviving cartographic depiction of Jerusalem. Visitors to the Cardo in Jerusalem can see a replica of the Madaba Map. Visitors can also see a large mural painting by students of the French school of art Creation de la Cite. The mural depicts the Cardo as it would have been 1500 years ago, a bustling street with vendors displaying their wares; a covered walkway; animals, and colorful characters.
Milk Grotto, Bethlehem
The Milk Grotto (Magharet Sitti Mariam or Grotto of the Lady Mary) is a Christian landmark in Bethlehem, not far from the Church of the Nativity. The grotto is believed to be where Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus hid following the nativity and where Mary nursed baby Jesus. The site first became venerated in the 4th century and by the 7th century pieces of the grotto’s stone walls were being sent to churches in Europe. In 1375 the Milk Grotto was recognized by Pope Gregory XI. In 1872 a Franciscan church was built around the grotto and in 2007 a modern chapel was built alongside the site connected by a tunnel.
The Bible does not specifically refer to the Milk Grotto so the faith in its role in Jesus’ life is a tradition rather than a Biblical event. The Magi (Three Wise Men) visited Herod on route to the nativity and so the king knew of the imminent birth of Jesus. He feared his position if Jesus was allowed to grow into a man. So Herod ordered the death all boys born in Bethlehem that were two years old and under. In Mathew 2:13-14 we read how an angel came to Joseph and warned him to take the new born child and Mary and flee to Egypt.
The angel told Joseph to remain in Egypt until being told to return as Herod was going to search for the new born child to kill him. So Joseph took his family and fled to Egypt where he stayed until the death of Herod. Tradition holds that on route to Egypt the Holy Family briefly hid in the grotto before making their escape. While taking refuge in the grotto Mary nursed baby Jesus and as she did so a drop of her milk fell to the ground turning the surfaces of the grotto white.
The chapel encompasses the grotto today dates back to 1872 but you can still see fragments of the mosaics; geometric motifs and crosses from the 4th century structure. The grotto itself has an irregular shape and is carved out of the soft white rock. Alongside the Milk Grotto is the convent of the Sisters of the Perpetual Adorers of the Blessed Sacrament and a tunnel connecting the grotto to the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament.
Christian and Muslim women who want to conceive visit the chapel to pray for Mary’s intercession to bless them with fertility. Believers will sometimes scrape off part of the white stone of the grotto. Mothers wanting to enhance milk production often mix the white scrapings with water to drink while women wanting to conceive place the white rock fragments under their pillow at night. Today small packets of the powdered white stone are sold at the site. On display are letters from mothers across the globe that have used the holy white powder and have successfully become pregnant.
Via Dolorosa
The Via Dolorosa follows the path Jesus walked through the streets of Jerusalem, from the place of his trial to the place of his crucifixion. Jesus was brought before Pontius Pilate to be judged and condemned near where the Old City’s Lion Gate stands today. After being judged Jesus carried the heavy cross through the crowded streets to where he would be crucified. Crucifixions were made outside of the city walls whereas today Golgotha, the site of Jesus crucifixion lies within the Old City and within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Along the route, Jesus stopped at 14 points which are remembered today as the Stations of the Cross. Most of the stations are recorded in the New Testament and others were added over the years. Each station is marked along the Via Dolorosa by a plaque or mark in the stone walls that flank the route. Several of the stations have small chapels nearby commemorating the Biblical events.
In the early years of Christianity after Christianity was legalized in the 4th century, it became customary for pilgrims to retrace Jesus’ route along the Way of Sorrow. The route has been altered several times over the years. The present “Fourteen Stations of the Cross” were set sometime after the Crusader period (13th century) and are all within the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem.
In the 16th century the route was given its name, the Via Dolorosa (The Way of Grief in Latin) and today the Via Dolorosa or Way of the Cross lies on the route followed by Byzantine pilgrims. The significance of the Via Dolorosa and the proximity to where the actual events took place makes this pilgrimage site a deeply moving destination for Christians.
Today the Via Dolorosa runs along lively Old City market lanes flanked by ancient stone walls. Christian pilgrims follow the Way of the Cross praying at each of the stations and tour guides lead groups along this sacred route. Some religious groups walk the Via Dolorosa passing a heavy wooden cross from one to the other. The Way of Sorrows culminates at the Holy Sepulchre, a massive and ornate 4th century church that encompasses the last five Stations of the Cross. Each Friday at 3 pm the Franciscan Custodians of Holy Places lead a procession along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The largest event along the Via Dolorosa is during Holy Week when thousands of pilgrims follow the Via Dolorosa. Many travelers choose to arrive in Israel just before Easter and Join a Procession Tour.
King David’s Tomb
King David’s Tomb is situated on Mount Zion just outside the Old City walls in Jerusalem. Although the authenticity of the site has long been in question it is still a sacred site for Jews, Christians and Muslims. David is an Old Testament hero, King of the Israelites, credited with fighting Goliath; he composed many of the psalms and was father to King Solomon. David’s Tomb stands in the ground-level room of a Crusader-era building. On the second floor of the same building is the Room of the Last Supper. The room holding David’s sarcophagus is used as a synagogue while the Upper Room is visited by Christians in memory of Christ’s Last Supper.
The Crusaders built the present building that holds David’s cenotaph although three of the walls remain from an earlier synagogue-church that was used by Roman and Byzantine-era Jewish Christians. In the 14th century, the Franciscans renovated the structure before being ousted in the 16th century by the Muslims who converted the building into a mosque.
There has been much discussion of the authentic City of David’s burial site. It was only in the 9th century that Muslims documented the present site of David’s Tomb and in the 10th century pilgrims began visiting Mount Zion as the burial place of David. The Old Testament tells us that David was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. Archaeological excavations place the City of David south of Temple Mount and not on Mount Zion where the present tomb stands. The City of David was the original settlement that grew into Jerusalem.
The extensive excavations of the City of David have not uncovered an alternate Tomb of David. Some have thought that David was buried in Bethlehem, a city also referred to as the City of David, but excavations in Bethlehem have not unearthed his tomb. Despite the fact that King David was probably not buried exactly at the present site of the tomb it is still a revered landmark and pilgrimage site for Christians, Jews and Muslims.
Church of St. Catherine
St Catherine’s Church is located within the Church of the Nativity compound in Bethlehem. St. Catherine’s is the Bethlehem parish church and part of a Franciscan Monastery. The church is one of the top attractions in the city and stands on the site where Jesus appeared before St Catherine of Alexandria in the 4th century and predicted her martyrdom. The Catholic church and its Franciscan monastery exhibit elements from structures of different historic periods. The church is part of a UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site. St. Catherine’s Church is the venue for the Christmas Eve Midnight Mass held annually on the 24th of December and broadcast live around the world to millions of Christians.
On this site in 1347 a shrine was dedicated to St. Catherine. In 1882 the structure was expanded thanks to funding by the Emperor of Austria. The new structure incorporated elements of a 12th century Crusader Church and Charter House as well as the 5th century Sanctuary of St. Jerome that once stood here. The church and specifically the cloister were redesigned in 1948 by renowned architect Antonio Barluzzi. In 2013 the church was expanded to accommodate more worshipers.
St. Catherine lived in the 4th century in the Egyptian city of Alexandria. She was a princess and a scholar who adopted Christianity after having a vision of the Virgin Mary and infant Jesus. She is known for having converted many people to Christianity at the young age of 14. She was martyred at the age of 18 at the hands of Roman Emperor Maxentius at a time when the Romans were persecuting Christians. Catherine was hung on a spiked wheel after being beheaded. From St. Catherine we get the “Catherine Wheel.” Angels took her body to Mt. Sinai (Mt. St. Catherine) where her relics are now held. St Catherine is venerated mostly by the Eastern Orthodox Church and she is celebrated on her feast day on 24-25th November.
At the entrance of the church you can see beautiful arches that have been incorporated from the Crusader-era St. Jerome’s Cloister. It is possible to enter the Church of St. Catherine from the north transept; the underground caves, via the adjacent Nativity Church and through the church’s Cloister of St. Jerome. The large church has a nave and two aisles with a raised choir. The stunning stained glass window that creates a backdrop to the main altar was added in 2000 and depicts the nativity scene. Topping the roof of the church is a statue of Saint Catherine. Barluzzi’s design of the cloister incorporates column and their capitals from the 12th century monastery. Standing at the center of the cloister is a statue of Saint Jerome. The original shrine that was once just a small part of the Franciscan Monastery is now part of the altar dedicated to St. Catherine. There is also an altar dedicated to Mary where you can see an 18th century statue of Jesus as a young child. The church is connected to the adjacent Church of the Nativity by an underground passage.
The highlight of a visit to St. Catherine’s is a visit to the underground caves. Steps lead you down beneath the church to grottoes holding several shrines and ancient tombs. A passage leads from the caves to the adjacent Church of the Nativity. Among those buried in the caves are St Paula, her daughter, Eustochium and St Jerome. It was in one of these grottoes that St. Jerome is believed to have translated the Latin Bible into the vernacular.
