Apr 2, 202112 min read

Places in the “Passion of Christ” that You Can Visit in Israel

Updated: Apr 15, 2023

Here are some of the actual Biblical sites or remains that Jesus visited from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday.

City: Jerusalem

Country: Israel

GOLDEN GATE

Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday through the Eastern Gate, which is also called the Golden Gate, or the Gate of Mercy.

Biblical Significance: Ezekiel 11:23 - And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain that is on the east side of the city [Mount of Olives]."

MOUNT OF OLIVES & CHURCHES

Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, “Each day he went on teaching in the temple, and at night he lodged on the mountain which is called Olivet.” (Luke 21:37)

He prayed at Mount Olives with his disciples the night before he was arrested (Matthew 26:30-56).

White Donkey on Mt. Olives

A prophecy said that the Messiah would enter Jerusalem riding on a white donkey (Zechariah 9:9)

Pater Noster

The Church of the Lord’s Prayer

This convent and church are built on the site where Jesus is thought to have taught his disciples the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:2)

Dominus Flevit (The Lord Wept)

Roman Catholic church. This is the site where Jesus was looking at the city, it resembles the shape of a tear drop in memory of the moment when Christ wept as he foresaw the destruction of Jerusalem (Luke 19:41). This church was designed and constructed by Italian architect Anton Barluzzi in 1955.

Steeple of Church of the Ascension

Russian Orthodox church. Orthodox believers claim that Jesus rose to heaven from this very soil; framed behind the church is a rock believed to be where Mary stood during his ascent. It houses a slab of stone believed to contain one of His footprints as he stepped up to heaven.

Church of Mary Magdalene

Russian Orthodox Church. According to tradition this was part of the site of Jesus’ ascension. The church and convent were built in 1870-1887 and there is also a chapel dedicated to John the Baptist.

Cave Graves on the Mt. Olives

The dead were cleaned, anointed with perfume oils, wrapped in linen, and placed in the cave grave. After the flesh had decayed, the bones were collected and placed with the bones of their other family members in stone sarcophagi.

Tombs of Prophets on the Mt. Olives

According to medieval Jewish tradition, the tombs are those of the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, who lived in the 6th and 5th centuries BC.

MOUNT ZION

Biblical Significance: 2 Samuel 5:7, describing the fortress of Zion as the City of David. The Lord’s Holy Mountain.

“Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, Behold your God!” - Isaiah 40:9

Cenacle on Mt. Zion - Room of the Last Supper

The upper floor room is believed to be the site of Jesus' Last Supper.

The word “Cenacle” is derived from the Latin word for “dining room”, in memory of the festive Passover meal.

In Catholic tradition, Cenacle is considered the first Christian Church. Cenacle also witnessed the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. Archeological findings of graffiti with the carvings of Jesus’ name supports the traditional belief that it was the first Christian church.

Underneath the Cenacle, there is a secret room. It was used by the disciples as a hiding place to escape from the persecution since the Upper Room was no longer safe. When most of Jerusalem and Mount Zion was destroyed, the room remained hidden under the ruins, only to be discovered by the returning Christians a few years later.

Very little was known about the church until writings of historians like Hegesippus and Epiphanius of Salamis were discovered. Hegesippus stated that the room served as a church for the early followers of Jesus. It wasn’t easy for many Christians, as they had to go on a dangerous journey through the Roman camps near the Jaffa gate. Many of them were executed by the Romans as a result.

GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE (Mt. Olives)

Believed where Jesus prayed before he was betrayed by Judas Iscariot. Also called the Grotto of the Agony.

After the Last Supper, Jesus Christ and the apostles went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray for what’s about to come. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Matthew 26:38

They prayed for almost the entire night. They were only interrupted by the Roman guards sent by the betrayer, Judas. Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Biblical Significance:

According to the Gospel of John, after the Last Supper Jesus and the disciples went into “a garden” which was “across the Kidron Valley”. (John 18:1).

Matthew (26:36) and Mark (14:32) name the place – “Gethsemane”. Gethsemane means “[olive] oil press”. The presence of an olive press across the Kidron Valley is not surprising. It is at the bottom of a mountain called the Mount of Olives.

Beside the garden is the Church of All Nations (Basilica of the Agony), built over the rock on which Jesus is believed to have prayed in agony on the night before he was betrayed by Judas Iscariot and arrested. A large rock near the high altar is said to be where Jesus prayed.

Grotto of Gethsemane is a natural grotto where Jesus and his disciples often camped at night.

Bible Significance: Jesus prays in Gethsemane: Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46; Mark 32-42

Near the grotto is the Tomb of Mary, where a Christian tradition holds that the Mother of Jesus was buried after she “fell asleep” in death.

This path runs from the Garden of Gethsemane through the Kidron to old Jerusalem.

It is believed that this is the path that Jesus’ captors took on their way to High Priest Ciaphas.

Church of St Peter in Gallicantu

It is believe where Peter denied the resurrected Jesus three times before reconciling with him.

The upper level contains the courtyard where the denial took place. The middle church below contains the house of Caiaphas, as well as French inscriptions about Jesus and St. Peter as the first pope.

Floors of the Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu. It is believed that Jesus was held here the first night He was taken to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest.

The lower two floors are the guard room and the dungeon. In Christian belief, Jesus was held captive in this dungeon on the night before his crucifixion.

Archeologists predict that Jesus and his disciples descended these steps on the way to Gethsemane after the Last Supper.

King Herod’s Palace

The Roman guards brought Jesus Christ to King Herod’s palace. This is where the people gathered in front of Pontius Pilate and King Herod, demanding for the crucifixion of Jesus. Two thousand years ago it was filled with blood-curdling screams: “Crucify Him!”

From King Herod’s palace, Jesus carried His cross through the streets of Via Dolorosa. This street is within the old city of Jerusalem. Via Dolorosa is Latin for way of suffering. It’s now a popular route for tourists who want a closer look at Jesus’ struggle. The route was established in the 18th century. Today it is marked by the 14 Stations of the Cross.

Station One Chapel of the Flagellation at the Franciscan Monastery. It marks the traditional site where Jesus was condemned to death by Pontius Pilate, scourged, mocked by the Roman soldiers, and crowned "King of the Jews" with a crown of thorns (John 19:1-3). Current archaeological evidence states that this would have happened instead at Herod's Palace

Station Two is nearby, at the Church of Condemnation, and is when Jesus took up the cross. The Ecce Homo Arch marks the location and the beginning of the path on Via Dolorosa.

It was here where Pontius Pilate gave his famous Ecce Homo, Behold the Man, speech, bound Christ, placed thorns atop his head and gave him his cross.

Station Three

The Armenian Catholic Chapel is at the site of the third station, which is where Jesus first fell according to tradition.

Station Four - Church of Sorrows of Mary

It commemorates where Mary, mother of Jesus, saw her son carrying the cross. Jesus encounters his mother Mary at the fourth station, whose grief over the torture and execution of her son is unimaginable.

According to the Bible, Mary was accompanied by her sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene (John 19:25-27)

Station 5

It is believed that Simeon the Cyrene carried the cross for Jesus up the hill of Golgotha.

Many faithful pilgrims carry a wooden cross along the Via Dolorosa to empathize with the experience the suffering of Jesus on his way to the crucifixion site.

Station 6 According to tradition, this is the point where Veronica wiped the blood and sweat face of Jesus, creating the Veil of Veronica. The Veil was imprinted with the image of Christ after she wiped her veil. The face of Jesus was then imprinted on the veil, the cloth is reported to have been kept in St Peter’s Basilica in Rome since the 8th century.

The Church of the Holy Face and Saint Veronica was built here in the 1800s.This place is believed to be the site of Veronica’s house.

There is no reference to the story of Veronica and her veil in the canonical gospels. The closest is the miracle of the unnamed woman who was healed by touching the hem of Jesus's garment (Luke 8:43–48)

Station 7 It is believed that seventh station mark the spot where Jesus passed through the judgement gate and fell for the second time on His way.

this site is also Beit-Habad Street at Via Dolorosa Street, one of the most authentic market alley in the old city. The market caters to the residents of East Jerusalem, travelers and tourists.

Station 8 By local tradition his is the place where Jesus encountered women who grieved on his death sentence.

Gospel of Luke 23:27-28 Jesus tells the daughters of Jerusalem to weep for themselves and not for him.

A large pillar still set on its base inside the chapel is said to mark the exact place of the fall. On the wall of a Greek Orthodox monastery, just beneath the number eight marker, is a carved stone of a Latin cross with the Greek letters IC XC NI KA meaning “Jesus Christ conquers”.

Station 9

Jesus fall the third time. Coptic Chapel of St Helen is close by. A small community of Ethiopian Orthodox monks lives here.

Station 10 The tenth station is located at the entrance of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in the room called the Chapel of the Franks.

It was here that Jesus was stripped off his clothes, as in Mark 15,24: “And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take.”

Entrance to The Church Of The Holy Sepulchre

The remaining five Stations Of The Cross are inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Unlike the other stations, these are not numbered.

Station 11 This is where Jesus was nailed to the cross.

This part of the church belongs to the Catholic Church and is known as the Latin Cavalry. If you look up to the ceiling, there is a 12th-century mosaic of the Ascension of Jesus. This is the only surviving Crusader mosaic in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Station 12: Jesus died on the cross

Just to the left of the Latin Cavalry (the 11th station) This part of the Church belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church and contains the 12th Station of The Cross – the Chapel of the Crucifixion.

The ornate Greek altar stands over the place where Jesus’ Cross was erected. A silver disc beneath the altar apparently marks the spot the cross of Christ stood.

Station 13: Jesus is taken down from the cross

where Mary watched in great agony her son’s death.

The site is based on tradition and legend of St. Helena about “The True Cross” of Jesus.

St. Helena and The Legend of the True Cross

During her pilgrimage to the Holy Land they uncovered three crosses, one thought to belong to Jesus Christ, and the others belonging to the two thieves that died alongside Him. To test and see which one of these crosses truly belonged to Jesus Christ, they searched for a leper at the outskirts of Jerusalem.

The leper was instructed to touch each of the crosses one by one. He touched the first one and nothing happened. He touched the second one and still nothing happened. Finally, when he touched the third and final cross, the leper was instantly healed. It was this cross that healed the leper, and for that reason it is known as the “The True Cross.”

This is the Stone of Unction.

This slab of rock is where the body of Jesus was laid out and anointed with oil and spices in preparation for his burial.

Station 14 Jesus is Laid In The Tomb

When Jesus died, He was brought to a tomb. On the third day, He rose from the dead and He was found missing from the tomb. This miraculous spot is where the Church of the Holy Sepulcher stands today.

Tomb of Christ at the End of the Via Dolorosa. Inside the dome, there are two rooms. The first room contains a stone fragment that is believed to have sealed Jesus’ tomb, and the second is the tomb itself.

Meanwhile, recent arguments point to the possibility of another location.

Mount Calvary in Israel, on which, according to legend, Jesus Christ was crucified, is considered one of the two main shrines for Christians, the other is the Holy Church of Sepulcher.

The hill of execution was outside the city walls of Jerusalem, apparently near a road and not far from the Sepulchre. Its exact location is uncertain, but most scholars prefer either the spot now covered by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or a hillock called Gordon’s Calvary.

Another possible location for the tomb of Jesus is the Garden Tomb, popularized in 1883 by Charles Gordon (alternate name – Gordon’s Tomb).

The Garden Tomb was not a “new tomb in which no one had yet been laid” (John 19:41); it was already over 600 years old by the time of Jesus.

Verdict: While there is perhaps value in having a tomb in the peaceful setting of a garden which reminds people of what the original tomb setting may have been like, but this is not the actual tomb of Jesus.

While it doesn’t look much like a tomb anymore, this is the remains of purported tomb of Jesus within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Archaeological research has demonstrated that this was the site of a Jewish cemetery in an ancient limestone quarry outside the walls of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus’s death.

Verdict: Archaeologist John McRay sums it up best: “Although absolute proof of the location of Jesus’ tomb remains beyond our reach, the archaeological and early literary evidence argues strongly for those who associate it with the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.”

Biblical Significance on Resurrection

1 Matthew and John were disciples of Jesus who affirmed the empty tomb. (Matthew 28:1-10; John 20:1-10). Eusebius records that Mark wrote the memories of Peter in the gospel he wrote, which testifies to the empty tomb (Mark 16:1-8). Luke claims to have written an orderly account based on the testimonies of eyewitnesses (Luke 1:2-3) and he also records the empty tomb (Luke 24:1-12).

Furthermore, both those guarding the tomb and the Chief Priests who pushed for Jesus’s crucifixion acknowledged this fact and concocted a tale about the disciples stealing the body to explain the empty tomb (Matthew 28:11-15). It is telling that the earliest witnesses to tomb being empty and to having met the risen Jesus were women, a class that was sadly discounted as unreliable in the first century.

The Meaning Of Holy Week For Christians

Holy Week, in the Christian church, the week between Palm Sunday and Easter, observed with special solemnity as a time of devotion to the Passion of Jesus Christ.

Holy Week is most definitely a very sacred time of the year, for it is now that we will commemorate and remember the last week of Jesus' life on this earth.

PALM SUNDAY

Celebrates Jesus's triumphant entry into Jerusalem

Mt 21:1-11, Mk 11:1-11, Lk 19:29-44, Jn 12:12-19

HOLY MONDAY

Jesus was traveling from Bethany.

Cursing of the Fig Tree.

(Mt 21:18-19, Mk 11:12-14)

Cleansing of the Temple.

(Mt 21:12-17, Mk 11:15-19, Lk 19:45-48)

HOLY TUESDAY

The chief priest, temple leaders, and elders challenged Jesus’ knowledge of scripture.

Lesson of the Withered Fig Tree