If you have never walked in the footsteps of Jesus Christ or if you are curious to understand how the Christian tradition has come into place, I invite you to visit the Christian sites in Jerusalem where all the History began. The path of Via Dolorosa which traces the agony of Jesus carrying his cross to the place of his crucifixion that is the Holy Sepulcher. There you can discover a grandiose enclosure built by the Crusaders as they passed through Israel.
To return to the origins of Christianity is to return to the story of the second great king of Israel: King David! For that, nothing better than to go to Mount Sion where there is his grave.
Finally, a visit to the various churches of Mount of Olives and the grandiose views of the city will give you another perspective on what is Jerusalem and on the history of Christianity! Ready for a legendary trip to Christian sites in Jerusalem? Let’s go!
1. Via Dolorosa: walk in the footsteps of Jesus
The Via Dolorosa or Way of the Cross is the path that every Christian pilgrim wants to do once in his life! While roaming it, you will stop on 9 stations marking facts that took place while Jesus carried his cross on his back. All this, in the heart of the Muslim and Christian neighborhoods of the old city … you will be immersed in the past, in the first century BC while walking well anchored in the present with the good smells of the Arab Souk (market).
If you do it on a Friday or a Sunday, there is a good chance that you will meet on the way a group of pilgrims wearing crowns of thorns and singing prayers in procession to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, while following one of their members carrying a wooden cross. Surprising and strong experience! Do not hesitate!
2. Church of the Holy Sepulcher: High Place of Christianity
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is certainly the most important site in the world of Christianity. Indeed, this is the place where Jesus was crucified and buried and then resurrected! According to the myth, Emperor Constantine’s mother brought a sick child to the place in order to touch several wooden crosses and identify which one was Jesus’: by touching the good one, the child was immediately cured!
Imagine now at the foot of this imposing building: an architecture dating from the Crusaders, a story for everything you see, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims a year, priests and patriarchs who come and go with their great togas and headdresses, “modern Jesus” suffering from the Syndrome of Jerusalem … What a spectacle! The Holy Sepulcher is one of the Christian sites to visit in Jerusalem with one of our professional guides!
3. Mount Sion
Why to go to Mount Sion? Well, it’s very simple! If you want to go the whole way in order to enrich your general culture, this is the right place! There, you will have to get to three main tourist sites: first of all the tomb of King David. In Christianity, King David is a key element to explain why Jesus is the savior of the people! You will see people of all faiths go there, since King David is as important to Jews as Christians or Muslims! Do not be surprised by what you will see 🙂
After the tomb of King David, you should go to the room of the Last Supper, where Jesus ate with his students before being crucified! This room is amazing: observe carefully and notice the typical Mihrab of mosques as well as the Arabic stained glass in the room so important for Christians … And finally, the Dormition church monastery, recognized as the place where Mary, mother of Jesus, would have fallen asleep and gone up to Heaven with her son. In short, many stories and a whole folklore to discover!
4. Mount of Olives : one of the Christian sites to visit!
If you love photography, the Mount of Olives will be an opportunity to have an amazing spotlight of the city of Jerusalem! At the top of the mountain, you will stand over the huge cemetery with over 150,000 graves dating from the first Temple (about -1000) to this day! You may visit the Churches of the Ascension, Pater Noster, Dominus Flevit and All Nations!
Each one of these churches represents an important occurrence in the history of Christianity: the ascension of Jesus to Heaven, the place where he taught the Prayer of The Our Father to his students, the place where he cried about the prophecy of the destruction of the Temple and many more! Once at the bottom of Mount of Olives, you may go down the Kidron Valley to see ancient mausoleums carved in chalk, then enjoy a snack under a Bedouin tent and go back to the foot of the walls of the old city! Cap and camera, and off you go! 🙂
These Christian sites in Jerusalem are the first ones among many! Our guides will know how to share their knowledge and go back in time to walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.
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