We got off the bus at its last stop near the Damascus Gate on the north side of the Old City, and decided to start our day with a walk to the Mount of Olives located beyond the city's eastern extent. The traditional site of Jesus' ascension into Heaven, today the mount still contains several groves of olive trees as well as a chapel built over the stone believed to have been His ascension point. We entered the chapel during a momentary lull in the crowds and observed this very stone, which is left exposed in the floor.
Departing through a torrent of incoming tourists, we next made our way down the hillside after first pausing to take in the panoramic views of the Old City, which lies to west.
Our descent took us by an ancient Jewish cemetery known as the Silwan Necropolis, followed by a slight detour to see the Dominus Flevit Church, or "The Lord Wept", which is built in a tear drop shape to mark the location where Jesus wept when predicting the destruction of the Second Temple and the Jewish Diaspora.
At the base of the Mount of Olives, we stopped at the Church of All Nations next to the garden of Gethsemane, which is built over a section of rock where Jesus is traditionally believed to have prayed before His betrayal and arrest. The neighboring remnant of the Gethsemane garden contains a grove of very venerable olive trees, which came as a refreshing sight to all after our walk through the dense town surrounding the Chapel of the Ascension.
Next we ventured across the street to see the Grotto of Gethsemane and the Tomb of the Virgin Mary. The former location is a small cave where Jesus is said to have found His disciples asleep after praying in the garden, before being betrayed by Judas. Today, like all of these Holy sites, a church is built encompassing it. Our visit corresponded to an ongoing service in this church, so we satisfied ourselves by peering into this ancient Grotto from near the entrance. We found the neighboring Tomb of the Virgin Mary to be relatively empty, on the other hand, and descended into this hollow on a flight of broad stairs dipping into the ground. The structure traditionally believed to be the tomb itself was once part of a larger rocky cemetery, which was mostly cut away by ancient Christians in order to feature only the tomb in question. Today a small shrine, or aedicule, is built around this stony bed, which we entered and exited through low doorways on either side. Elaborate gilded paintings cover the walls of the chapel, as well as many parts of the interior of the encompassing church.
Being content with our visits to these Holy sites outside the city, we headed back towards the Lion's Gate on its eastern wall to make our way towards the start of the Via Dolorosa, or "Way of Sorrow", the road believed to be the path taken by Jesus before being crucified.
On the way to this unhappy road we stopped at a building with a subterranean chamber claiming to be the birthplace of the Virgin Mary, before entering the neighboring St. Anne Seminary which contains the Pool of Bethesda as well as St. Anne's Church, built over another chamber claiming this same distinction. Regardless of the veracity of these titles, we enjoyed our visit to this church which is renowned for its superior acoustics, a remarkable result of its construction which we experienced first hand by the singing of some of our fellow tourists.
The adjoining Pool of Bethesda is an archeological site containing the remnants of Roman and earlier structures containing several pools and cisterns (now empty). Biblically, the waters of the pool would periodically become troubled at which point the first to enter would be healed. In the Gospel of John, Jesus heals a cripple who cannot make it to the pool during this salubrious disturbance.
Leaving these ancient ruins we soon came to the Via Dolorosa and the First Station of the Cross, which, along with the 13 subsequent stations, is marked by a plaque on the wall inscribed with Roman numerals (some stations also have small chapels). The Via Dolorosa ends with the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which contains what is believed to be the Golgotha rock where Jesus was crucified as well as the tomb where His body was placed.
We presently reached this Holy site after first stopping for a falafel lunch at a small shop next to the road. We found the sprawling church, like the rest of the Via Dolorosa, to be flooded by pilgrims, but nevertheless made our way steadily through its ornate interior. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is remarkable for being jointly controlled by several Christian denominations, and the chapels for each are scattered around within its walls.
Near the entrance to the church is a bare bed of exposed rock known as the Stone of the Unction, where Jesus is traditionally believed to have been placed after His death and removal from the cross. Many pilgrims cluster around this rock, imbuing various religious objects with its holiness by holding them against its surface.
To the right of the Stone of the Unction is the Golgotha Rock, barely visible through its enclosing chapel (itself contained within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre). Ascending a flight of steps brings visitors within this chapel, where a long line waits to touch the supposed spot of the crucifixion through an opening beneath the alter. This chapel is the most ornately decorated of any within the surrounding church.
Proceeding in a clockwise path around the church, we passed several more chapels and soon came within the rotunda, a large room under a domed ceiling containing another shrine known as the Aedicule, which contains what is believed to be a piece of the rock which sealed Jesus' tomb as well as the tomb itself. A prohibitively long line of pilgrims waiting to enter the shrine for a glimpse of these relics stayed our own desire to enter, and we satisfied ourselves by gazing upon its exterior and marveling at the austere and imposing grandness of the surrounding church, as well as at the gargantuan candlesticks with faux electric candles arrayed around the Aedicule.
Leaving the church we wandered through the city towards the western extremity, stopping for beer before continuing to the Jaffa Gate for a tour along the southern ramparts. These relatively modern fortifications are the result of an order by the Sultan Suleiman I of the Ottoman Empire in 1535, who desired that the original walls be rebuilt.
This tour brought us near the famous Western Wall of the Second Jewish Temple, which we visited before returning through the city to the bus station outside the Damascus Gate for the return trip to Bethlehem.
-Theodore
Mummy and Tut 2 outside Herod's Gate, which we took to enter the Old City on our way to the Mt. of Olives.
Through the streets of the Old City
Tut 1 outside the Lion's Gate near the Mt. of Olives
Outside the Chapel of the Ascension
Inside the chapel, during a very brief moment of emptiness
The whole crew with the Old City in the background. The Dome of the Rock in the Temple Mount is clearly visible.
Tut 2 and Mummy in the garden of Gethsemane
Inside the Church of All Nations, also known as the Basilica of the Agony, by the garden of Gethsemane
The Tomb of the Virgin Mary, the small door in front of Tut 2 on the right leads to the actual tomb which is now empty
St. Anne's Church
Ruins surrounding the pool of Bethesda
Inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, out of the frame in front of the painting is the Stone of Unction
The Aedicule
The rampart tour
View from the southern ramparts
Part of the wall surrounding Bethlehem
You guys have seen amazing things! Some of these sites have been recognized for so long that that in itself make them worthy! The fact that different faith groups can get along, at least there, is also fabulous.
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