Upper Room (Cenacle)
The Catholic church consider the Cenacle to be the first Christian church ever, however every other Christian denomination believes that this honour goes to St. Peter's church in Turkey. The Upper Room and King David's tomb are located outside of the old city on Mount Zion. The Upper room is noted as being where the Last Supper took place and the apostles as well as the Virgin Mary lived very close by.
The upper room itself has long gone and the current upper room was built in the middle of the 12th century by the Crusaders over the top of King David's tomb. The location is the best estimate we have that this was the place based on biblical, archaeological references, and historical accounts. From the upper room, one can walk up to the roof top to get a good view of the Old City and Dormition Abbey next door.
Convent of the Sisters of Zion
This is an often missed place, which is a great shame as it is probably one of the best places to visit when in Jerusalem. What lies underneath the floor are the remains of the garrison very close to where Jesus was judged and beaten by the Roman guards at his 'trial'.
The building was built by Herod the Great as an open air pool, and in the second century, the Roman Emperor Hadrian had a vaulted archway installed to allow a pavement to be installed on top.
A model of the old site built by Emperor Hadrian over the top of the old bath and streets is shown above. One of the arches over the main road is thought to still exist over the Via Dolorosa today.
The Roman road underneath leads all the way under ground to the Church of Condemnation. The most significant find during the excavations was the discovery of one of the road stones, on which a game had been etched into the surface involving the execution of a "Monk King". Perhaps this is the very stone where the soldiers gambled for Jesus's clothes? It is now encased behind thick glass.
The convent also has on display hundreds of artifacts dating back 2,000 years that were left behind including earthenware, coins and weapons.
Adjacent to the large bath is a gigantic underwater cistern. It is very damp here, but is currently empty. This reservoir is over 2,000 years old.
It is amazing how well preserved much of the old streets are.
Via Dolorosa
The Via Dolorosa, meaning "the way of the suffering", is the current processional route from the site of Jesus's trial to his execution. Much of the route is of course disputed and there are a few other alternative routes which are suggested as being more acurate based on evidence.
There are a total of fourteen stations, each marking the spot of where a significant moment occured and each is marked a round bronze disc and often a small diorama of what it was that happened. There are nine stations on the way, with the final five being inside the Church of the Holy Scepluchre.
Most of the Via Dolorosa is within the Muslim quarter and security here is much more visible than in the other quarters. The scene above was taken at station 3 where the Via Dolorosa turns south onto Al-Wad Street for a short distance before turning west again. Al-Wad road continues on to the Wailing Wall.
The fourteen stations are as follows;
1st station - Jesus is condemned to death 2nd station - Jesus carries His cross 3rd station - Jesus falls for the first time 4th station - Jesus meets His mother, Mary 5th station - Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross 6th station - Veronica wipes the face of Jesus 7th station - Jesus falls for the second time 8th station - Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem 9 station - Jesus falls for the third time 10th station - Jesus is stripped of His clothes 11th station - Jesus is nailed to the cross 12th station - Jesus dies on the cross 13th station - Jesus is taken down from the cross 14th station - Jesus is placed in the tomb
Today many private groups will make the journey to Jerusalem to walk the Via Dolorosa and there is a public procession every Friday night led by the Franciscan church from station 1. During and leading up to Easter, the route is absolutely chaotic, but despite being only three weeks away, Jerusalem was extremely quiet and only a single Latin American group was seen at the last outdoor point of the route at station 9.
Austrian Hospice
The Austrian Hospice of the Holy Family is a guesthouse for pilgrims in the heart of the Old City. It was built in 1854 and includes a cafe, chapel and even a music academy. The buildings are exquisitely ornate and most parts are open to the public.
The Hospice has a cat which has no problem making itself at home in any available warm jacket, something Vinci was all too happy to oblige. Unfortunately its very kind and gentle nature turns almost violent as soon as it detects any food in its vicinity.
The roof is accessible for a small fee and offers some of the best views of the old city from within the city walls. The Hospice is located in the Muslim quarter, just opposite Station 3 of the Via Dolorosa.
Archaeological Garden
The Archaeological garden is a site recently open to the public on the south west corner of the Temple Mount walls. A large ancient site has been unearthed here and visitors can see many antiquities from the Second Temple period all the way up to modern Israel. To be honest, I'm not sure if we entered the wrong way or if it was shut down, like many other places in Jerusalem, we just seemed to find ourselves there. There is an even larger section of the site against the southern wall.
More photos from Jerusalem can be found below
Archaeological Garden - An unearthed Mikveh (ritual bath)
Inside one fo the many churches along the route of the Via Dolorosa
Queen Helen Coptic Orthodox Church and Saint Antony Coptic Monastery
Ethiopian Monks village on the roof of the Church of the Holy Scepluchre
Scene from the roof of the church of the Holy Scepluchre near stations 10 - 12
The courtyard above below the Upper Room (Cenacle)
The Old City's western walls
Peak hour at one of the markets within the Old City. Thanks, China!
Remains of an old gate embedded in the city walls
Archaeological Gardens. The wall of the Temple Mount can be seen at the left
The walls and rear part of al-Aqsa mosque on Temple Mount
A large painting showing in a largely forgotten alley in the old sity showing how it "would have looked"
Continue to Part 27 - click here
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