Days 5 & 6 in Jerusalem

I spent my fifth day in Jerusalem catching up with work and correspondence and just decompressing.  It was cold, windy, and rainy, and not a very nice day to be out and about.  I knew that the next morning I would have a full schedule in the Old City, so I decided a day of relaxation and working on other projects for the week would be the best option.

So, on my sixth day in Jerusalem, I retraced the holy spots we passed by, while in the massive crowd of the Palm Sunday procession.  I decided to start on the Mount of Olives, in the Church of the Ascension, where we were able to touch the spot of stone that is supposed to be the actual spot of ground Jesus ascended into Heaven from.  After, we walked on to the Pater Noster, the chapel compound area where Jesus gave the Our Father prayer to his disciples and followers.  The prayer is embedded in the walls, in mosaic form, in every language known to mankind.  It was a beautiful and restful place, maintained by an order of nuns.

From there, we walked down the mountain, to the Dominus Flavit, the "teardrop" shaped church where our Lord wept for Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.  It was an interesting site, with gorgeous views of the city as well.  At the bottom of the mount, we entered the Garden of Gethsemane, where our Lord prayed, and sweat blood, on the eve of his arrest, and where he was actually arrested by the Romans.  A strange marker accentuates the spot, that is surrounded by some of the world's oldest olive trees.  The garden is gated off and peaceful, with beautiful flowers all around.  Adjacent to the Garden is the Church of Nations, an impressive structure with beautiful inlaid ceilings and a magnificent glass mural in its headliner.

 We continued down to the entrance of the city, but we veered off right before the entrance and visited two absolutely fascinating sites: The Church of the Tomb of the Virgin, and the Cave of Betrayal.  The Cave of Betrayal is supposed to be the area that Judas Iscariot met in secret with the Sanhedrin, and sold Jesus to the Pharisees for 30 pieces of silver.  It is small and dark and sad, a little chapel marks the spot.  Our guide said that this chapel always gave him "the creeps" because he can feel the sad and negative energy in there.  I have to admit, I kind of agree.

The Tomb of Mary was an absolute wonderment to me. As you descend below the ground, you are greeted with a surreal spectacle of lamps and incense burners, all in the Orthodox tradition.  The variety and amount of them are overwhelming, a literal riot of color -- I was absolutely delighted! I don't know what so stirred me with fascination in this place, but I literally could have spent my entire day in there, just sitting in that strange cavern.  I found a quiet, dark corner, deep in the back by a tiny alter, and just sat and watched the spectacle of people kissing the feet of the statue of the Virgin.  I felt like a ghost.  It was a delicious feeling in a way -- to be invisible and peaceful and to just feel a state of relaxation in the quiet of the tomb.  There were also Crusader Kings from various countries buried in different vaults, and the thought of being in the presence of these mighty men was also very awe inspiring. 

We left there and continued on to the entrance of the Old City, where went in again, through the Lion gate.  We began to walk the Stations of the Cross, or the Via Dolorosa.  We began at Pilate's compound, where Jesus was put for judgment in front of the crowds, after being scourged.  The Chapel of Agony marked that spot as well.  We continued on through the day, stopping at each particular Station, to discuss the events that happened there, including the different chapels that marked the way.  We doubled back to the beautiful Church of St. Anne's and visited the remains and ruins of the pools of Bethesda, where Jesus healed a crippled man.  It was now a deep labyrinth of exposed ancient caves and wells, with beautiful wildflowers springing up everywhere.  Gorgeous!

We ended our day in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where Jesus was supposedly buried.  This is open to debate because the Protestants also have a claim that the Garden Tomb is his burial place (I agree with this theory).  But, the church is magnificent and chaotic, with hundreds of people milling around, praying, touching the stone where Jesus was laid to be cleaned and prepared for burial, and having a view where the stone of the mountain split at the moment of Jesus' death.  All very fascinating.

All in all, it was a very successful day, with many of the Holy Sites in the Old City explored, and some new and interesting acquaintances struck up for the day!