Gethsemane

After living here for two months, we realized we'd never visited the Garden of Gethsemane yet...whoops! So last weekend, we decided to remedy this fact. Our first stop was to the Church of All Nations, the iconic church set in the garden itself. It's called the Church of All Nations since so many countries contributed financially and artistically to its completion. 

To enter the church, you first must enter the garden, which consists of 12 olive trees that they can date back to the 1st century AD, so they really did stand during Jesus' time. They are awesome sights; about 10 feet around, with gnarled and pitted trunks that look as though they should be dead. 

The inside of the church is dominated floor to ceiling by giant mosaics of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. The alter is built over the stone where Jesus is said to have prayed before his arrest. It was one of the most beautiful churches we've seen here. But we got an added bonus; a Catholic mass was underway when we went in, so we stayed to watch for a while. It looked as if an entire diocese from England was there, along with 12 priests, dressed in red garb leading the service. 

The next stop in the Gethsemane area is to the Tomb of the Virgin Mary. As an Orthodox church, it is dominated by lanterns, burning incense  icons, and candles as pilgrims wait in line to kiss Mary's tomb within the heart of the church.

Mary's Tomb

 The final stop around Gethsemane was to the Church of Mary Magdalene, a Russian Orthodox Church whose golden spires are easy to spot in any picture of the Mount of Olives. While the sanctuary was closed, we did get a peek inside the chapel, as well as amazing views of the Old City and the Eastern Gate.

It was a fun stop to make before the Holy Week festivities begin, for not only did we beat the crowds that will flood the garden this week, but we got to see the sites the dominate the bible story which will be read in churches everywhere in the next week.