On Saturday, I woke bright and early and took a cab from the Damascus Gate to the Seven Arches Hotel, situated on the top of The Mount of Olives, just to the west of Jerusalem's Old City. The Mount of Olives figures prominently in the story of the last week of Jesus' life.
The view from in front of the Seven Arches has to be one of my favorite viewpoints I have ever visited. Spread out before you is the whole Old City, with the gleaming Dome of the Rock taking center stage. I find myself constatntly using it as the focal point of pictures I take. It may be one of the most striking buildings I have ever seen.
Also spread out below this viewpoint are the thousands of Jewish graves. Tradition says in the last days, those who are buried on the slopes of the Mount of Olives will be the first to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Most of the major churches of the Old City are visible from here- The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, The Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Enjoyment of the view was only mildly affected in a negative way by the tons of tour groups and tour buses that are sharing this magnificent panorama. I was glad I'd gotten up there so early, as I'm sure the worst of it probably happened later in the morning.
I walked up the road the road and came the Church of the Ascension. There are at three churches on the Mount of Olives that mark spots where the different religions or denominations believe that Jesus ascended into heaven.
Down the street from The Church of the Ascension is the The Church of the Pater Noster "The Lord's Prayer". The first church at this site was comissioned by Helena, the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine. The site was chosen because it is believed to be the site where Jesus first taught The Lord's Prayer. The inside of the courtyard, and all the surrounding buildings for that matter, are lined with The Lord's Prayer in 161 different languages. When I read about this shrine in advance I thought it sounded cheesy, but it was actually very well done.
After Pater Noster, I bagan the steep decent down the mount. The first site I came to was the Church of Dominus Flevit, which translated means "The Lord Wept". This teardrop shaped church is one newest additions, having been built in the 1950s. This marks the spot where Jesus stopped and wept over Jerusalem. The viewpoint from the front plaza of the church is almost as outstanding as the one in front of the Seven Arches. I didn't get to go inside the church since a service was in progress.
The Russian Orthodox Church of Mary Magdalene is right down the path from Dominus Flevit, but is only open two days a week for two hours. I did get a picture of it's attractive golden onion domes from plaza in front of Dominus Flevit.
Nearing the base of the mountain I came to the Garden of Gethsemane. I asked my mom and dad before I left what were some of his best memories from their 2005 trip. My dad recollected how peaceful a place the Garden of Gethsemane and been saying it had been a quiet place for prayer. I did not find it the same experience, as it was on of the most crowded sites I have ever seen. It was still moving to read the story of the agony Jesus felt in the garden immediately preceding his arrest.
Next to the Garden of Gethsemane is The Church of All Nations, an attractive building with an impressive facade.
Finally, I crossed the street to the Tomb of the Virgin Mary, another one of the holiest sites in Christendom. It is believed that Mary was interred here by the disciples after her death. This shrine was really amazing, requiring pilgrims to walk down a long set of stone steps to get to the heavily incense laden chamber housing Mary's tomb. This was one place I really found effective despite the crowds.
As I mentioned in my post about The Garden Tomb, I'll write a longer post about the dichotomy of visiting religious sites later. I'm still a few days behind...
The rest of the pictures from the Mount of Olives are here on my Facebook page-
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2065446&id=1208119406&l=2be2e7446b
2 comments:
My dearest husband, you have me in awe. I feel like I'm there with you as your descriptions leave me breathless.
Can't wait to see the rest of the trip.
On a different note, I hope you don't mind, but I gave a 50 dollar donation to small paws rescue. It's the bichon one you showed me. Ummmmm
I did not find a puppy friend for Mr. Bear. 1 4 3 Sally
Erik, I too am in awe. And Janeen, don't look now, but I feel I am on this trip with the two of you. Erik, great coverage of your journey! I am embarrassed that where your trip is so well laid out covering the footsteps and history behind them, my trips to Israel usually are plotting my way from falafel stand to shwarma peddler. Have an amazing experience. So far so good!
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