Calvary

Two touching and powerful works of art mark the exact location of Calvary, the scene of the Crucufixion, located inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Long lines of people are able to say a prayer and touch the rock marking the location.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

We walked a good portion of the Via Dolorosa, the actual Stations of the Cross. It was a surprise to see that most of them are simple plaques on walls of buildings along a narrow street, wide enough for pedestrian traffic only. We started with number five and followed the plaques until ten, then surprisingly entered a huge building. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is built over the former hill of Calvary as well as the location of the tomb of Joseph of Arimethea, the man who donated the resting place and buried Jesus there. Both locations are inside this dark and wonderfully holy place. The sun streaming down through the dome highlights the locations, and we saw the tomb first. The artwork seen here is on the structure that covers the tomb and we were able to see that clearly and personally, one at a time.

Toward the Via Dolorosa

We continued to encounter a wide variety of people as we walked through the narrow streets of Jerusalem, headed to the Via Dolorosa. At that point, we began to walk toward to location of Calvary and the scene of the Crucifixion.

Faces of Jersualem

All around the area of the Wailing Wall we saw many faces of the people of Jerusalem, men and women of all ages. As Americans who hark back a few centuries for our entire history, we were awed by being in this ancient place. Here are some of the faces seen that day.

Niche Prayers

Many of the visitors to the Wailing Wall, myself included, were prepared and had prayers drawn up and written out on paper. The papers were deposited in one of the many niches along the wide and tall wall. Visitors of many faiths are comforted by prayer at the Wailing Wall. All photos at the wall will show only people of the same gender as the photographer, as women have a separate section of the wall situated to the right of the larger men's section.

Wailing Wall

Shortly after we entered Jerusalem we visited the Wailing Wall. On a Monday, the area fronting the Wall was filled with tourists and with families visiting as a group and celebrating Bar Mitzvahs. It was a religious atmosphere, and its ancient history mad the visit very memorable.

Ancient Tree & Older Gate

Some of the olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane are reputed to be more than 2,000 years old. Did Jesus pray here or near by? Just being in that vicinity is an amazing stop on the journey that turned pilgrimage. As we walked from the church along this pathway, the tree was to our right. If we looked to our left, we saw the ancient Golden Gate to Jerusalem, the gate whereby Jesus entered the city. With the gate now closed, the power of the scene is clearly unmistakable.