Other Destinations Magazine
Travel and tourism digital magazine with great photographic reports
old city of jerusalem
Texts and photos: Guillermo Cachero
O Jerusalem you that you hide between walls, so many times destroyed and ashamed of those who make you a Saint. Yes. Santa for three religions; They all love you and in the name of their God, they kill for you. You are the bone of contention of their beliefs. Some beliefs for which so much blood has been shed that some chroniclers say, that the faith of a God, the blood that ran through your streets reached the ankles of those who stepped on
Streets walked by prophets and some of them were killed in the name of truth. Divided into known neighborhoods with the name of the various religions that "dominated" you. The Jew, the Christian, the Muslim and the Armenian. Eleven times you were conquered and destroyed five totally for those conquerors. Even so, “so-called holy” places predominate, such as; the Via Dolorosa or the Holy Sepulchre, the wailing wall either, the great Mosque; although they are not the exact places sanctified for a long time two thousand years.
Holy for Christians, Jews and Muslims; the latter claim that Muhammad climbed to paradise on the winged mare Burak, from the same revered place by the Israelites; the Haram-ach-Sharif; the hill of Moriah. Where Abraham offered to Yahweh the sacrifice of his son Isaac. And King David raised an Altar on the worn rock. Was the place chosen by King Solomon, son of David to build around 960 BC, the first Jewish temple.
A temple that years later was rebuilt for Herod Antipas, and from which Jesus expelled the merchants as well It is in the new testament. Destroyed by the Romans in 33 after of the death of Jesus by the second revolt of the Jews . Of such a gigantic temple single there was a wall that for the Jewish people it is the lamentation of their prayers. The so-called Wailing Wall.
On the remains of the temple the Muslims centuries later under great protest from the Jews, they erected an imposing monument to the ascension of Mohammed: The Mosque of the Rock.
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Old City Gates
Eight doors have the entrance to the city, of them one is sealed; the so-called Golden Gate. From 1541 in the first Islamic period of Jerusalem, the Arabs sealed it as according to the prophecies through this door the Messiah will enter on his return and they feared that if it is fulfilled they would lose the power of the city. It is also known as the door of eternal life or the door of mercy. Another legend of Islamic origin ensures that Judgment day will begin here as it is a sacred valley, and a cemetery was built as many Muslims asked to be buried in a sacred place. And since you can't stepping on the graves closed the door. Currently being buried in this place is only possible for those who have a high economic power since the prices of the tombs are very expensive and not every Muslim can afford it.
DAMASK GATE
Behind its walls you discover a city so full of history that it hardly matters if its streets are holy or not. Three religions in one place and centuries of clashes have given rise to differentiated areas where there is a gateway for each of the four neighborhoods.
Damascus gate is the entrance to the Arab quarter one of the most important and perhaps the most spectacular, where it seems that time has been stuck since the Muslim conquest. A door of bustling markets, both in the accesses to the entrance and inside the neighborhood. Where merchants, pedestrians, street vendors and curious people mingle, forming a large crowd that makes it difficult can walk.
There are many emotions that are perceived when you are in front of to the Damascus gate facing north. Whose name is in honor of the city of origin of those who were Arab rulers of Jerusalem. Beneath this 16th-century door, archaeologists have discovered pieces of the gate built by Emperor Hadrian in the second century of our Era.
Through the door, the fruit and vegetable stalls and the bars that offer the city's tipi pomegranate juice leave a corridor where it does very difficult to walk normally. A few meters away is the Via Dolorosa, already belonging to the Christian quarter. Israeli soldiers are seen along the street with their rifles and machine guns, they talk to each other and everything seems to be as normal as possible.
If this gate is reached a day before the last of Ramadan, stalls double and clothing sales grow like mushrooms. It is customary among Muslims that on the last Friday of Ramadan every good Muslim should celebrate it by wearing a new garment. It is the big day for the Islamic world, that day relatives are visited and even weddings are celebrated.
Ramadan in the streets of the old city of Jerusalem is lived in the same way as in any Muslim city. It all starts on 5:30 in the afternoon when the crowd is thinning at the entrance to the Damascus gate and the Arab quarter. you can walk now without tripping, at six o'clock in the afternoon the establishments close and during that half hour the streets in the muslim part is a traffic chaos. Once that half hour has passed, everything is deserted, you can only see in some semi-closed bar how they prepare the food because the fast is over and it is time to eat. Until nine at night, prayer time, it is a ghost neighborhood that, once the prayer is over, returns to its effervescence again. between the a ten past eleven at night Shops and street stalls open again. Everything returns to its activity and the families go out to the street where in the pastry shops there is a long queue to buy the typical sweets, a long queue with the typical sweets. The car chaos returns to normal and the clothing stalls open again, there are always those who forgot to buy one last cloth or fabric for their wardrobe.
dome of the rock
There where the holiest place in Israel is located.
The ideal date to visit the old city of Jerusalem is from Sunday to Thursday, if we really want to experience the city in all its fullness. The Friday is the Muslim holiday and Saturday for the Jews. So the Arab neighborhood has little activity and the mosque is closed to visitors. In the same way on the Sabbath the same thing happens not only in Jerusalem but in all of Israel. Although Friday and Saturday can be used to visit the Christian and Armenian neighborhood. The only problem is on Saturday since, if we have arrived without a scheduled trip, we will have many problems eating on this day, yes, we can go to the Arab quarter.
To visit the Dome of the Rock or golden mosque built between 690-692, the dates allowed are from Sunday to Thursday. this mosque It occupies a unique place in the history of Islamic architecture for being the first Muslim monument of structural, decorative and volumetric maturity. It has inherited its perfection from the talent of generations of builders from the Middle East. Built as a sanctuary, the third in Islam (after the Ka'ba in Mecca and the Mosque of the Prophet in Medina). The building covers a bare rock that represents the top of Mount Moriah, the holiest place in Jerusalem not only for Muslims but also for Jews.
It is the holiest place in Israel because according to history and legends was where the dust from which Adam was created was collected. There where his sons Cain and Abel offered sacrifices and later Abraham. King David after conquering Jerusalem purchased Mount Moriah from the Jebusites proclaiming the city as the capital of Israel. Where the first temple was built by Solomon, later destroyed and rebuilt by Herod. And definitely destroyed by Tito son of Emperor Vespasian suffocating the violent revolt, managing to conquer the city, looting and destroying the temple, leaving only the west side currently known as the Wailing Wall during the year 70 AD.
The construction of the Dome was ordered by Caliph Abdelmalik ben Marwan of the Arab dynasty of the Ummayad with the intention of erecting a great monument to highlight the Muslim presence in the city. That way his faithful would have a place to pray, since the only great religious monument of that time was the Christian Holy Sepulchre. The dome is the oldest place of worship in the Islamic faith and the most outstanding architectural work of the Ummayad dynasty. The Dome of the Rock consists of an octagonal structure at its base and on it rises the golden dome of approximately 20 meters in diameter.
During three times visiting Jerusalem, I always had an emptiness, have the experience to visit the dome in the middle of the sermon of the Friday. Something that I already experienced in Damascus in the Umayyad Mosque and since then has grown in me like a worm. I am not religious but I am fascinated by the way each believer manifests your faith. And I was reluctant to stop witnessing how they manifest themselves in one of the sacred places of Islam. so i made up my mind try, total No, I already had it and the only thing that could happen to me was that they beat me out.
I entered through the Puerta de los Leones where on the left is the entrance to the golden dome where four soldiers hailed me since as a foreigner I could not pass, I told them I was a Muslim and they looked at me with a strange face, they asked me what country I came from and I told them that I was from Serbia that I was a Serb Muslim. They searched me from top to bottom and without any further problem, they let me cross the wall where I was amazed seeing the magnificent place, not yet packed with worshipers, but so different when you visit seeing the empty esplanade.
It would be approximately 11 in the morning and the entire patio of the enclosure was almost complete, which is great. The place was filling up with the faithful, many of them carrying their prayer rugs and the truth is that I only had eyes to observe everything that happened. Since only my eyes were the only thing that could give certainty of my presence in the place, not being possible as will be understood enter the cameras.
The Imam did not stop talking and talking and even screaming at times with a lot of anger (as you will understand it was in Arabic and he did not understand anything at all). Those present spoke among themselves, some very heatedly about the Imam's words, beside me some addressed me and I told them that I was a Serb who was sorry but did not speak their language, some were interested in my "country" and above all in the massacre of Muslims that he suffered. I had a rosary in my hand with which I was "praying" rather I moved my lips to certify my faith in Islam. The truth is that I don't even want to think about what would have happened if they discovered me, I tried by all means to go as unnoticed as possible.
The place was absolutely packed I think there must have been more than 5,000 people and the truth is that when the prayer began, it was spectacular. I looked at the one next to me and if he got up I did the same, in the same way. if he knelt down or buried his head in the ground. But my curiosity was higher and I couldn't stop looking at the rest. As well as impress me by the voice of the Imam in the prayers, a voice that was already slower and sweeter, very different from that of the sermon. The situation was such that it gave me goosebumps, observing and at the same time making the same movement with everyone in unison, they got on their knees, put their hands to their faces and at the Imam's order they knelt down and bowed their heads in the floor. The moment was absolutely magical, on the one hand I was praying like any other Muslim and on the other hand I was enormously afraid that they would discover what had happened to me, it caused an incredible state of excitement, something that I will never forget in my life.
The truth is that I have to say that after having this experience that I can classify as extraordinary at that time I thought. God how I would like to go to Mecca before I die, because if I found this sensational I don't even want to think what it must be like to be in Mecca. I have to say that in Damascus My experience was different since I was invited there and I lived it as such, where I was able to photograph.
The time for the end of the prayers arrived and if it was already extraordinary the situation now became different but no less attractive when leaving the compound, the soldiers were still there with their machine guns but now also the street up to the Lion's gate was full of merchants on both sides who sold mainly bread, I stayed next to a boy who had two wooden carts with dimensions of one meter from side to side and about 50 cm deep full of bread and in half an hour it was out of stock, next to him a woman was selling a kind of meat and vegetable croquette that she sold in a few minutes. It's the holiday and of course, the one who sells a plastic horse or a simple balloon, to take the children waiting at home, could not miss.
I continued my march towards the Via Dolorosa. Suddenly I find several young people who play and dance with some bongos, others make choirs around them, the party begins and it seems that life has been stopped until that moment and the day begins once the Friday prayers are over.
At the Damascus gate before reaching it through its interior where everything was closed first thing in the morning, everything started again, vegetable stalls, fruit and vegetables were full. Right in front of the Damascus gate, inside there is a bar where they make some of the Dönner Kebab, the best in Jerusalem. I sat there and witnessed the flood of people who entered and left through the door. The merchants on the sides shouting the sale of their products was another magical moment this Friday in the city of Jerusalem.
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Christian Quarter
Painful way
The Via Dolorosa is the most visited place by Christians who come to Jerusalem. The last place stepped on by Jesus before being crucified.
But it did not end there, the surprises of this Friday, I headed towards the Via Dolorosa on the way to the Holy Sepulcher in the Christian neighborhood. Through it appear one Orthodox Russians doing the Via Crucis. A ritual that is only allowed to be performed every Friday of the year.
behind the one He carried a cross, the rest followed him between prayers. They usually arrive with their cross to the same church of the Holy Sepulchre, where they stay at the doors. Well, only the entrance inside is allowed with the cross good Friday. This Via Crucis ceremony is not only carried out by the Orthodox but throughout the year you can see pilgrims from anywhere in the world.
This street that recalls the one where Jesus stepped last before being crucified, It is a narrow alley, of pious memory. Tombstones mark the fourteen stations of martyrdom. The first is next to the convent of the French Sisters of Sion. The fourteenth and last is the Chapel of the Sepulchre, in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It is difficult to discover under present-day Jerusalem the same city that Jesus stepped on. the only certainty gives it a sign that identifies it.
Nowadays it is a street very visited by all those who profess the Christian religion, and it has become the street with the most trade of all the old city of Jerusalem.
Praetorium
On the Via Dolorosa is the Praetorium, the residence of the man who was Roman governor in Israel; Pontius Pilate. In this residence the sentence was pronounced against Jesus. It is known like the chapel of the scourging. Currently It is the convent of the nuns of Sion, better known as the Ecce Homo church, where large fragments of the "Pavement of Justice" where Jesus was tried are preserved.
Protestant Lutheran Church of the Redeemer
In 1841 the Queen of England and the King of Prussia decided to create a joint Anglican-Lutheran bishopric in Jerusalem.
Near the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and after walking through the labyrinthine streets, all of them full of commerce for tourism, you reach Muristan Street where the Protestant Lutheran Church of the Redeemer is located, there next to the Jaffa gate, In a square that seems to have changed nothing in centuries is this church whose bell tower looks more like a minaret and can be seen from anywhere in Jerusalem. It was in 1841 that the Queen of England and the King of Prussia decided to create a joint Anglican-Lutheran bishopric in Jerusalem.
It came to an end in 1886 with the dissolution of the Anglo-Prussian joint venture. The German Lutheran Church established an independent presence in Jerusalem and the Holy Land. This community has increasingly attracted Arabic-speaking members, many of them alumni of schools and other institutions maintained by German Lutheran churches and societies. Since 1979, the Arabic-speaking congregation has its own bishop and exists independently of the small German-speaking congregation, represented by a shepherd.
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Holy sepulchre
Church of the Holy Sepulcher within a string of chapels, all of which refer to the history of salvation.
A few meters from the Lutheran church. You come to an arch through which the Romanesque facade of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre appears majestic. A indefinite style facade, it is rather an accumulation of the architectural styles of the last thousand years.
At the same door they are concentrated groups of pilgrims and tourists. The Holy Sepulcher is open from 4:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from 12:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. in winter and 8:00 p.m. in summer. The closing and opening as well as the entrance run into, to the great surprise, Islam: according to an ancient privilege, the portal of the basilica is opened by a Muslim family.
Right at the entrance is the Stone of Anointing. This stone considered sacred is highly revered by Greek Orthodox believers. It was the stone that welcomed the body of Jesus when they lowered him from the cross, and where according to the Jewish rite; Jesus received the last oil paintings before being shrouded for burial. It is one of the most revered relics in the Orthodox Church. And both Russian and Greek Orthodox, some reach out and hug, cry, pray, others carry all kinds of objects, the spoons to bless them, extend them and ask for the blessing of each object. Behind the stone a mosaic shows the descent of the cross the anointing and its transfer to the tomb.
Versus the majesty of the Katholikon, there is a building in square shape. The front part is the entrance of the Christians where believe was the tomb of the body of Jesus. At the rear of the building is the chapel of the Copts.
In the Christian part every day hundreds of faithful make long queues to enter. on your porch appears the figure of crucified Christ, a hole framed in silver indicates the place where the cross must have been erected. To access you must bend down to where find the hole that testifies that the cross was nailed. between tears and prayers kiss where his savior was crucified. Under the dome of the church there is a small marble chapel with an atrium, the so-called chapel of the angel, which is where some apocryphal books indicate as the true place where the body of Jesus was deposited. And it is the place where the stone that guarded the tomb of Christ is kept.
43 lamps of great beauty illuminate the covered marble walls that, as they explain, each of which belongs to the Christian confessions. An absolute silence is observed inside, it is totally forbidden to take pictures but the flashes are fired at every moment.
The history of the construction of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher contains legends as it could not be otherwise. Built in 66 AD it was the church oldest Christian church in Jerusalem. Destroyed by Emperor Hadrian in the second Jewish revolt, in 135, he ordered the complete destruction of Jerusalem and built a new Roman city, called Aelia Capitolina. Mount Golgotha there, where Christ was crucified where the church was, was completely covered with earth and rubble, digging a ditch where he threw the three crosses and everything that served as a relic for the Christians of the time who used to go to the place on pilgrimage.
Hadrian later ordered the construction of a temple in honor of Venus. Y a statue to Jupiter on what was the place of crucifixion. something usual, raise pagan buildings in the sacred places of other religions. Certainly the place was considered sacred not only because of the crucifixion of Jesus. Calvary or Gólgotha, which in Hebrew means bare, dry, stony mound, without any vegetation, was a place where it is believed that Adam's skull would have been found, hence the origin of the name Calvary.
And according to the Christian faith Jesus had been crucified on top of Adam's tomb, thus the redemption was fulfilled since his spilled blood purified the remains of the first sinner, currently under the place where the cross was, on the ground floor is the Church of Adam. Legend also tells us that it was the Emperor Constantine who converted to Christianity and founded the Catholicism. who in the year 325 send archaeologists, to recover the place of crucifixion. The temple of Venus was destroyed and in the excavations they found the three crosses
Elena the mother of Emperor Constantine after his son called a meeting of bishops from all over the empire, which included Macarius, bishop of Aelia Capitolina, as Jerusalem was known at that time, After hearing from Macario himself the regrettable abandonment of the places consecrated by the life and death of Jesus, she left with the blessing, authority and funds of her son for the Holy Land, becoming the first pilgrim.
Rufino narrates the historian. That Saint Macarius, Bishop of Jerusalem, commanded make prayers to obtain from God the grace to know the true Cross; and that since it was not possible to distinguish which was Christ's, Saint Macarius had a dying woman brought. Touching the first Cross, the sick woman got worse, the Cross belonged to Ladrón Gestas, touching it with the second one left her just as sick as she was, the Cross belonged to Dimas the thief, but touching it with the third Cross, the sick girl recovered. your health instantly. After satisfying her piety, Elena arranges for the Holy Cross to be divided into three pieces: a fragment was sent to her son Constantine, that fragment has been lost .
Constantine received him with great honors; another fragment was sent to Rome, along with the nails and the crown of thorns, for the church she herself had founded, known as the Church of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem and the largest piece was given to Saint Macarius for the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, both fragments are still preserved today in two churches. Actually there are two churches: a circular one built on the tomb and another one with a basilica plan built opposite on the place of the crucifixion.
The Coptic Chapel behind the Aedicula of the Holy Sepulcher
The Crusaders, faced with the need to have a large place in the face of the influx of pilgrims, joined the two churches to form a single space. When building the church, Constantine's architects demolished almost the entire site where what was believed to be the cave that served as Jesus' burial place was located, so already in its beginnings, although this really would have been the true burial place, they themselves to build the Holy Sepulcher they demolished the real place. Since only then could it be in the center of the building they had built. But even if they had preserved it, it would not have survived to this day, since in 614 the church that Constantine had built was destroyed and burned by the Persian commander Romizanes, who also destroyed a large part of the city of Jerusalem, burned the Holy Sepulchre, almost all Christian churches and murdered and buried more than 30,000 people in a cave in Mamila.
It took two centuries until Patriarch Modesto partially rebuilds it, later an earthquake damaged it again and it was in 810 when Patriarch Thomas repaired it. In 935 the Christians finally managed to overcome the attempts of the Muslims to build a mosque adjacent to the Basilica. Later it was set on fire again by the Muslims in 938. After reconstruction it was set on fire again in 966 by the Muslims because of the lost war in Syria. In 1009 it was the Caliph Fatima of Egypt who ordered the total destruction of the Holy Sepulchre. The tomb and everything that Constantine would have built. For eleven years Christians were forbidden to visit the place to pray, ignoring it. Alone with the succession of Al-Hakim, in a peace treaty with the Byzantine emperor Argirópulos they were allowed to rebuild the Holy Sepulchre.
In 1099 the Crusaders conquered the city and the chronicles tell that they were so bloodthirsty that through the streets of Jerusalem, that the blood reached the ankles, they killed Jews and Arabs without mercy. During the time of the Crusaders, the Holy Sepulcher recovered its splendor, most of the current building is the result of crusader reconstruction and expansion in the 12th century. The current columns and piers of the Rotunda are approximate copies of the original shape and design of the fourth century, but with half their height. In the year 1188 Jerusalem was conquered by the army of Saladin, recovering the control of Holy Land. The Holy Sepulchre, although it was not razed to the ground, was stripped of its splendor, and its marbles were used to build mosques and palaces. The Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher was closed and no one could officiate in it.
In the year 1244 many Christians died during the Muslim invasions and the building of the Holy Sepulcher was considerably damaged. A subsequent agreement between Sultan Ajub in 1246 and Pope Innocent IV determined that the keys of the Basilica be delivered to two Muslim families, who would be in charge of opening the doors to the pilgrims who arrived at the place.
Later due to the different frictions between Greek Orthodox and Latin Roman Catholics; between Coptic Orthodox and Ethiopian Orthodox, have perpetuated the need for an agreement with the Muslim Guardians of the Keys of the Holy Sepulcher eight centuries ago and for this reason it is still in force until today, although the Basilica is open to all visitors, without no limitation.
greek katholikon
Built by the Crusaders. In Ottoman times it was granted to the Greek Orthodox.
The Crusaders found the group of buildings as they were left by the restoration of Constantine IX. From 1140 to 1149, under the direction of an architect, Maestro Giordano, a capital repair of the entire complex and the construction of a great Franco-Romanesque style cathedral were carried out. To the east of the rotunda located on the Anastasis, the transept was built, and somewhat further away, surrounded by a corridor, the choir, the apse and a triumphal arch were built at the union with the rotunda. The central church communicates with numerous chapels.
It is this church built by the Crusaders that can still be seen: the beautiful Romanesque doors, especially those facing the south side, give the temple an oriental style. In 1808 the rotunda burned to the ground and the Orthodox convinced the Turkish government to allow them to carry out the reconstruction. The choir of the Crusader Church was transformed into the current Orthodox Katholikon, the arches of the corridor that surrounded the choir were covered turning it into a dark passage and the dome that rose over the rotunda threatened to collapse in 1869. In a joint action France and Russia replaced this dome with the iron cover that still exists.
Miracle of the Holy Fire
Visiting Jerusalem and of course the Holy Sepulcher is for those who profess the Christian religion one of their favorite destinations. Of course, it is a city that can be visited at any time of the year, although Holy Week would be the date chosen by most believers.
There is on the night of Holy Saturday by the Orthodox Church since the twelfth century, one of the "superstitions" known as the Miracle of the Holy Light in the Holy Sepulchre. And that it has had a great influence on the Russian Orthodox thanks to a Russian Abbot who had the privilege of witnessing it in a of your visits. A "miracle" of which the Orthodox churches have carried out flag it is the true pilgrimage that every Orthodox believer wishes to make once in his life.
The church on Saturday night it is absolutely full of Orthodox-Greeks, Copts and Russians, already from the dawn of the previous day they camp in the surroundings. The miracle occurs every year at the same time, 2:00 in the morning, and hours before it begins to enter the church with chants in honor of those who were forbidden to attend during the Ottoman occupation to church to pray and express their beliefs and many of them were punished. Songs that are accompanied by drums, where they express their religious feelings and they reaffirm their condition “We are Christians, we have been for centuries and we will always be”, so they repeat over and over again until 1:00 in the morning, when there is absolute silence; If it was already extraordinary to listen to the chants between drums, it is much more so, the impressive silence.
After that hour of tense silence, the "miracle" occurs at 2:00 in the morning, as has happened for centuries, a delegation from the local authorities crosses the crowd. Although these authorities are not Christians, they are part of the ceremonies. In the times of the Turkish occupation in Palestine, they were Muslim Turks, the delegation of authorities. They are now Israelis. For centuries, the presence of these officers has been an integral part of the ceremony. Its function is to represent the Romans, in the time of Jesus. The Gospels speak of the fact that the Romans went to seal the Tomb of Jesus, so that his Disciples would not steal his Body, and say that he had risen. In the same way, the Israeli authorities, this Easter Saturday, come and seal the Sepulchre, with wax. Before they seal the door, it is customary for them to enter the Sepulcher to check that there is no hidden source that could fraudulently produce the Miracle of Fire. Just as the Romans were here to ensure there was no tampering after Jesus' death, now the local Israeli authorities are here to ensure there is no deception.
When the Sepulcher has been searched and sealed, all the attendees sings the Kyrie Eleison (Lord have mercy). At the end of a great procession, which circles the Tomb three times, after which the Patriarch is stripped of his royal liturgical vestments, leaving only his white alb, as a sign of humility before the tomb.
All the oil lamps have been extinguished the night before, and now all the artificial light is extinguished, so, the Church is enveloped in darkness. With two large candles, the Patriarch enters the Chapel of the Holy Sepulcher: first to the small room in front of the Sepulcher and from there, to the Sepulcher Himself, as the Patriarch himself explains, since only he enters its interior.
He kneels in front of the tomb and performs certain prayers that have been handed down to him for centuries and then he waits, and after a few minutes from the center of the same stone a light emerges for him, an indefinable blue color that gradually turns into a dark blue color. of different nuances, of which he does not know how to define in human terms. That light that covers the stone as if it were a cloud and sometimes illuminates the entire tomb, rises from the stone as if it were water that rises from a lake, and as if it were a glow that is sometimes perceived from outside, they light up candles and oil lamp.
When going outside the jubilation of the attendees is deafening. The patriarch hands the flame to the Armenian Patriarch and to the Coptic and it is distributed to those present in the church. They receive it with great joy and distribute it among themselves, some touch it a thousand times and verify that they do not burn and they all begin to circle around the tomb.
A story that is questioned by many people who do not believe in the so-called "miracle", some say that the Patriarch has some system to light the fire, and those who have attended the ceremony say that the tomb is checked moments before his entrance and that he strips himself of all his belongings and everything is completely dark, and what is more, there are those who assure that at the same moment candles of many of the pilgrims are lit outside the Sepulchre.
The truth is that the “miracle” has never been filmed and I certainly don't think it ever will be. Miracles cannot be proven. And its defenders affirm that faith is required for a miracle to bear fruit in a person's life, and without this act of faith, there is no miracle, strictly speaking. Therefore, there can be no miracle without faith. Anyway, there is the story and that everyone thinks.
You can believe or not, be a believer or an atheist, but the experience is unforgettable when witnessing how hundreds of people sing and dance by candlelight. entranced by your faith.
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Tombs in the Kidron Valley
Hundreds of tombs, elaborate and simple, were carved on the slopes of the mountains that surround the city, mainly in this place.
Walking around the walls of Jerusalem, near the Arab cemetery that is next to the Golden Gate, you can see the so-called Mount of Gethsemane, better known as the mount of olives. from where it is observed the church of the nations, and to its skirts the tombs that date from the period of the Second Temple.
The burial caverns were in continuous use for several generations by members of the same family. Here is that of Yad Avshalom, the rebellious son of King David. A monument, twenty meters high, which is composed of a square lower structure cut into the rock, containing a small burial chamber.
Zejariah's tomb (known as the prophet Zechariah or, the father of Juan Bautista) is a monolithic monument cut into the rock that surrounds it. Square structure of five by five meters decorated with Ionic columns and crowned by a pyramid. It probably served as a nefesh for the tomb below it.
The rock-cut tomb of Benei Hezir, with a facade of two Doric columns, carved into the rock. It has a long Hebrew inscription carved into the architrave above the columns, identifying it as the tomb of various members of the Hezir family who served as priests in the Temple.
GETHSEMANE
MOUNT OF OLIVES
The Mount of Olives stands in the Kidron Valley, just east of the ancient city. a place that today containing more churches, chapels, and cemeteries than olive trees, its summit offers a magnificent view of all of Jerusalem and in the other direction the Judean desert, the Jordan valley, and the mountains of Moab.
The mount is loaded with biblical meaning: it is cited in the Old Testament as the place where David wept over the death of his rebellious son Absalom and is also closely related to the figure of Jesus and to what, It was the place where he prayed just before his delivery to the Romans by Judas Iscariot. There is a tiny mosque known as the Chapel of the Ascension, where there was a church from 390 AD. C. The current small building dates from the time of the Crusaders and was converted into a mosque by Saladin in 1198. Inside there is a rock that they say has the footprint of a foot of Jesus at the time of the ascension. The small mortuary crypt next to the mosque is of interest to all three religions: it is believed by Jews to contain the tomb of the prophetess Hulda, one of only seven prophetesses mentioned in the Old Testament; Christians say it is the tomb of Saint Pelagia and Muslims claim that Rabi'a al-Adawiya, a 5th-century female saint, is buried there.
Known as Gethsemane Hebrew word meaning 'oil press' (referring to olive oil). Apparently because of the large number of olive trees that surrounded the area in those days. All the gospels make reference to this place. Has a extension of about 1200 square meters. Between the Mount of Olives and the modern Jericho road, which passes through Bethany, is the church of the Agony. The land, initially, also included the location of the Church, since it was built on the ruins of the building that Egeria and Saint Jerome said had been erected in the place of Christ's prayer. In 1681, the Franciscans acquired possession of the orchard, of which they have kept its rustic appearance, they built a wall higher than the one they found to protect the olive trees. Currently it is only a small garden containing olive trees.
Church of the Nations
Next to the Mount of Olives stands the Church of All Nations, a name that comes from its construction was carried out by twelve different countries. It is also known as the Gethsemane Basilica of the Agony, for being the last place where Jesus prayed. with his disciples and where Judas handed him over to the Romans.
The first church built in the 379 was destroyed by an earthquake in 746. It was built a new one on the ruins that was abandoned in 1345. The current one dates from 1924, and preserves the rock identified as the place where it is believed that Jesus prayed before his arrest.
Framing the entrance is an impressive Byzantine-style mosaic arch. Inside the altar contains some frescoes that symbolize the figure of Jesus praying on the rock, in another part of the church another fresco details the kiss that Judas gives him when handing him over to the Romans. The windows of the current church are made of translucent bluish-purple alabaster, which produces a deliberate faded effect inside. Six monolithic columns support 12 domes, the interiors of which are decorated with mosaics depicting the national emblems of the donor communities. This decoration gave rise to the name by which it is known: "Church of All Nations".
Russian Orthodox Convent of Maria Magdalena
Russian Orthodox Convent just behind the Church of the Agony. Dedicated to Mary Magdalene.
The church dates from 1886 by Tsar Alexander III of Russia in honor of his mother Empress Maria Alesandrovna. It was built by David Grimm in a traditional style of Russian churches, It includes seven golden “onion” domes. The interior full of large frescoes of great beauty, as is common in Russian Orthodox churches.
In the church are buried the remains of two holy Orthodox martyrs, the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Fyodorovna Romanova of Russia and his companion the nun Varvara Yakovlev . The of the Princess Alice of Greece —niece of the Grand Duchess and mother-in-law of the Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom — who provided assistance to members of the community Jewish , during the Nazi occupation of Greece .
Zion Gate and the Armenian Quarter
Zion Gate: It is the one that bears the oldest biblical name of Jerusalem. Mount Zion, previously an integral part of the city and, by extension, of the entire country, gave its name to the Zionist movement; Until two days before independence, the founders of the Jewish state hesitated between the name of Zion and that of Israel for the country.
It's the front door to the Armenian neighborhood, the smallest of the four that is located inside the old city. It is believed to be where King David had his citadel which was later demolished by Nebuchadnezzar and later by the Romans. Currently just a few steps away is the tomb of King David. And it also brings us closer to the Jewish quarter.
The Armenian quarter, is for me, of what better watch out of the entire old city. Its stone houses, passageways clean its streets and squares. Accompanied by the tranquility that is breathed, far from the hustle and bustle of the Arab part or the concentration of the majority of religious not only of the Christian religion but also Armenian and Orthodox. Where they celebrate their beliefs. Strolling through its streets on a festive day is filled with peace.
The Armenians settled in Jerusalem in the fourth century for religious reasons and for about 1,500 years they lived in full coexistence with other religions. It is not that later they had any friction with any of them, but due to the Ottoman genocide 1915, many left Jerusalem for fear of the same end. The Armenian population in Jerusalem came to have about 50,000, currently there are about 500 in the old city, others are scattered around Yafo, Tel Aviv, Bethlehem and barely two thousand in the surroundings of Jerusalem. Jerusalem, of which a minority have an Israeli passport, the rest have a permanent residence permit with a Jordanian passport.
All this leads to the fact that the Armenian quarter, which occupies a quarter of the southwestern part of the old city, can currently see the advance of the Jewish quarter and we can get confused since it is difficult to know where the Armenian and Jewish quarters begin and end.
The center of the neighborhood is still Armenian, there it is impossible to get confused, because of its religious buildings such as; the Cathedral of Santiago built in the 12th century. On its altar are the remains of the apostle Santiago el Menor, and in a side chapel the head of the apostle Santiago el Mayor. The Anglican Church, the Tower of David Museum: a museum about the history of the city. In the citadel is the slender tower, which rises above the fortifications of the city. Ancient Armenian Museum Yishuv Court Museum. The Church of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. The Cenacle and the only Jewish reference; King David's Tomb.
Cenacle
Where did the sacrament take place?
Known as the Cenacle, the place where Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples. It is located on the top floor where King David's tomb is located. The hall dates from the Crusader era, with its characteristic Gothic arches. It was part of a Franciscan monastery until 1552 and was converted into a mosque by the Ottomans, who added a mihrab and stained glass windows. It is the place where the scriptures detail that Jesus appeared to his disciples after the resurrection. And where the Holy Spirit appeared to the apostles on the day of Pentecost.
Holy place of the Christian religion, much visited by pilgrims who come to Jerusalem. One of the ceremonies that they usually carry out is surrounding the tree and praying with the help of a priest who usually accompanies them.
The building is currently occupied by a Hebrew religious school and previously until 1948 it belonged to the Muslims. The edges of the ceiling dome are typical of Lusitanian or Cypriot Gothic. The carved mihrab, the Muslim prayer niche, was added when the Franciscans were expelled from the building and the compound was converted into a mosque.
Beneath the present floor level are more recent Crusader, Byzantine and Roman foundations. The apse behind the cenotaph aligns with the Temple Mount, inspiring the assumption that this part of the building may have been a synagogue, or even "the synagogue" mentioned by the Pilgrim of Bordeaux in 333.
It is undoubtedly a place to visit for its symbolism for those who practice the Catholic religion. But also for everyone who is interested in knowing the historical details that are enclosed within its walls.
King David's Tomb
The room called David's Tomb is an empty chamber containing a simple velvet-covered cenotaph and was declared his burial place in the 10th century AD. C. A This place had special importance for the Israelis between 1948 and 1967, when the old city was in Jordanian hands and the western wall out of bounds. The tomb became a place of Jewish pilgrimage. In a room next to the tomb of David, the King David Museum has been installed, with a series of archaeological finds from Mount Zion and Jewish liturgical pieces.
In the heart of the Armenian quarter, we will also find the Dormition abbey erected in 1898 by the German Benedictines, with its triangular roof so characteristic of the city. This is the place where, according to Catholic tradition, the Assumption of Mary into Heaven took place.
wailing wall
It is also acquaintance like the Western wall and Kotel in Hebrew. The most holy place in the world for the Jews. But actually it is because they can't access control of the Temple Mount. where is the Mosque. That is for them the authentic and true highest place of holiness of the world for their religion.
Built by Solomon and rebuilt by Herod the Great, it was Titus who destroyed it, leaving this part of the temple for the Jews to have the bitter memory that they had been humiliated by Rome. The Jews, however, attributed it to a promise made by God, according to which at least a part of the holy temple would always remain standing as a symbol of his perpetual covenant with the Jewish people.
The square was created as an area to pray when Israel took the Old City in 1967. It is traditional to introduce a paper with prayers or wishes and place it inside the cracks of the wall, something common in the Jewish religion. With tourism, all those who arrive at the wall are or non-Jews often perform the same ritual.
I have been lucky enough to visit the wailing wall on "rosh hashanah" the Jewish New Year's Day, a celebration that lasts two days and marks the period of ten days of recollection and meditation that will conclude with the day of Forgiveness. During this time desires for amendment are expressed and sins are meditated on. The usual dishes of the meals contain numerous symbols: abundance, sweetness (apple and honey) and the meeting of the Jewish people (pomegranate).
Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of the Jewish year. Was the day that Adam and Eve were created. Although the creation took place six days before the creation of human beings. The tenth day is however considered the beginning of the world and Rosh Hashanah was established on that date. for your religion humanity is the center of the universe, for which everything was created. With his creation, the entire world was completed and God's desire in the world was fulfilled. So they believe and so they celebrate.
The night of the celebration it is forbidden to access the Wailing Wall to non-Jews. Luckily, even from a distance, you can be a participant in such a great event.
The Wailing Wall is, as can be seen in the photograph, absolutely packed. Boys and men on one side, girls and women on the other, they jump, dance and clap non-stop, to the rhythm of the drum-like sound they make on a table, and all accompany with clapping and singing in a celebration that usually lasts a couple of hours.
Once the celebration at the Wailing Wall is over, they usually celebrate it in their homes, restaurants and places where they continue singing and dancing.
Orthodox Jews at sunset on the way to the Wailing Wall to celebrate Rosh Hashanah
Father and son praying at the Wailing Wall.
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