Holy Land 2019 ~ Around the Old City of Jerusalem (DAY 7 ~ ISRAEL)

DAY 7 - Old City of JERUSALEM 

Today we got to walk in the Old City of Jerusalem.

The Old City of Jerusalem is divided into four quarters:  The Jewish Quarter, The Armenian Quarter, The Christian Quarter and The Muslim Quarter.

We entered the Old City of Jerusalem via The Lion's Gate (East of the Old City).  The gate is embossed with two lion figures on the sides. 

(Notice the Lion embossed decorating the gate)

We walked our way to the Church of St. Anne, dedicate to the mother Mary.  The church marks the traditional site of the birthplace of Mary.

Right next to the Church of St. Anne is the Pool of Bethesda (loosely translated as the House of Mercy in Hebrew), the site where Jesus healed a paralyzed man.

John 5:2-18 says Jesus told the man, “Stand up, take your mat and walk”, and immediately he was made well.

Near the Lion's Gate at the Christian Quarter is the  Via Dolorosa (Way of Sorrows) ~ a processional route believed to be the path that Jesus walked on the way to his crucifixion. 

Our tour group family, took turns carrying a small cross, we've rented to reflect on Jesus' suffering.  

• Station 1 - Jesus is condemned to death by Pontius Pilate 
• Station 2 - Jesus carries His cross  (commemorated by the Chapel of Judgment/ Condemnation, this is where Jesus was sentenced to death and beaten by Roman soldiers).

• Station 3 - Jesus falls the first time

• Station 4 - Jesus meets His mother, Mary (commemorated at the Armenian Church of Our Lady of the Spasm)
  

• Station 5 - Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross (located as the corner of Via Dolorosa and El-Wad road. A small Franciscan church is located at this station dedicated to Simon of Cyrene)
• Station 6 - Veronica wipes the face of Jesus (located further uphill,  commemorated by a Greek Catholic Chapel name The Holy Face as Veronica wiped the face of Jesus with a silk veil)
• Station 7- Jesus falls for the second time (marked by a Franciscan chapel at the Via Dolorosa's junction with Souq Khan al-Zeit)
• Station 8 - Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem (across the market street and up the steps of Aqabat al-Khanqah)
  

• Station 9 - Jesus falls for the third time (further up hill and close to the place of crucifixion, Golgotha near the Holy Sepulchre - Tomb of Jesus)

• Stations 10-14 are all inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre 
• Station 10: Jesus is stripped of His clothes (top of the stairs to the right outside the entrance)
• Station 11: Jesus is nailed to the cross (upstairs just inside the entrance, at the Latin Calvary)
• Station 12: Jesus dies on the cross (Rock of Golgotha in the Greek Orthodox Calvary)
• Station 13: Jesus is taken down from the cross (Statue of Our Lady of Sorrows next to the Latin Calvary)
• Station 14: Jesus is laid in the tomb (located in the round hall)  

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the holiest Christian Shrine.  It is the place of Jesus' crucifixion, burial and resurrection.

A bit a walk from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the Western Wall (also called the Wailing Wall by the Jews).  The wall and the plaza in front of it form a permanent place of worship, a site of pilgrimage for Jews, where they write down petitions and place between the cracks of the wall.

Mount Zion (City of David), the highest point in ancient Jerusalem, is the broad hill south of the Old City’s Armenian Quarter. Zion is described is the bible as "the City of our God" and a place that belongs to Him.  Located at Mount Zion are the following important sites:

• Tomb of King David 

• Upper Room (also known as the Cenacle) the site of the Last Supper and the coming of the Holy Spirit on the apostles

• The Church of St Peter Gallicantu (Gallicantu mean cock-crows in Latin), commemorates the three times Peter denied Jesus.  

A golden rooster perched on a black cross a top the church, recalls Christ’s prophesy that Peter would deny him three times “before the cock crows”. 

Located under the church is a dungeon believed to be the cell where Jesus was detained for the night following his arrest.

Perfect way to cap the day :P

Follow our Holy Land Adventure:

• For Holy Land helpful Tips >>> Holy Land Tips
• DAY 1 - welcome to Cairo Egypt >>>> Day 1
• DAY 2 - touring the land of ancient monuments, pharaohs and great pyramids  >>>> Day 2
• DAY 3 - road to Mt Sinai >>>> Day 3
• DAY 4 - from St Catherine Monastery to Israel  >>>> Day 4
• DAY 5 - floating on the Dead Sea >>>> Day 5
• DAY 6 - around Jerusalem >>>> Day 6 

Please check also my separate post on all the hotels we've stayed at during our tour of the Holy Land.  

For questions and inquiries on our Tour Package with CITTI please visit their facebook page at CORPORATE INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL AND TOURS INC.