My Russian Life: Israel - Jerusalem (Part 3) - touring the Old City quarters & the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

"One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things" - Henry Miller

For me, one of the most interesting things about Jerusalem was being able to see and understand it's history, through the architecture and it's people. You'll see 1st Century B.C. remains and next to a 4th Century building, next to a rebuilt section in the Jewish Quarter (since much of it was destroyed in the 1900's and rebuilt after the Six Day War in 1967). It's a place that greatly respects it's past, but doesn't live in the past, because the past IS still such a big part of the present.

The Citadel, or Tower of David, in the Christian Quarter. The present day structure dates from the Middle Ages. However, excavations have found sections dating from Herod's time and some even as old as the 2nd Century B.C. Some believe that this supports the view that it was a likely location of Christ's trial and condemnation.

As I mentioned, the Jewish Quarter was greatly destroyed as a result of the 1948 War and the Jordanian occupation of the Old City. After the Six day War in 1967, when Jerusalem was reunified under the state of Israel, the Jewish Quarter was rebuilt. So you see a lot of (relatively) new limestone construction in this area

Notice the very new buildings. All in limestone

Here is an older area with the Jewish Quarter. The Cardo, which was Jerusalem's main street in the Byzantine era. It was originally built in the Roman era (hence, the very Roman-looking pillars).

One of the highlights of the Old City is the Via Dolorosa, which Jerusalem tradition says traces the last steps of Jesus, from his trial in Calvary, to his tomb at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. There is no historic proof that this is the route; but the tradition is very strong and there are thousands of
Christian pilgrims who come to Jerusalem every year specifically to walk the 14 Stations of the Cross along the route.

This is Station #3, where Jesus falls under the weight of the cross for the 1st time. In my next post, I'll show a few more station markings.

One of the interesting visits of our trip was going to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It is build around the site that is believed to be the location of Christ's Cucifixion, burial, and Resurrection. The 1st basilica was build in 326 A.D. by the Romans. It was destroyed several times, and rebuilt in the 1040's by the Byzantines and again by the Crusaders in the late 1100's. And due to a fire in 1808 and an earthquake in 1927, the entire structure needed massive repairs.

This place was crowded. Overwhelmingly crowded, so it was really difficult to see much, let alone take many pictures. It was interesting to see, but only if you can handle the pushy crowds.

The pillars are covered with small crosses, (illegally) engraved by people throughout the years who have visited

When you enter the church, you go up a set of very old and narrow stairs, called the Stairway to Calvary. Tradition says this is the location of Jesus's crucifixion.

The only Catholic part of the church, the Chapel of Mary Magdalene, alongside another smaller chapel for Franciscan monks. It is believed to be the site where Jesus appeared to Mary after his resurrection.

This is the Rotunda, with the Tomb of Christ in the center. This picture was taken above my head, because below on either side are hundreds of people trying to get inside the chapel. This is the 14th Station of the Cross, some would say the holiest site in the Christian faith, where the body of Christ was laid and from where he rose from the dead. So the faithful are pushing to get inside and touch the tomb.