ITINERARY

• Panoramic outlook on the Mount of Olives overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem We will see the Old City in all its glory including the Dome of the Rock the third holiest site in Islam and the iconic view of Jerusalem, the Dome of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where many believe Jesus was crucified and resurrected, and the Hurva Synagogue the largest Jewish synagogue in the Old City.
• We then walk to the Church of the Ascension where it is believed that Jesus ascended to Heaven 40 days after the Resurrection.
• We then walk to Paternoster Church, where Jesus taught the Lord's Prayer. We then proceed to walk down the Mount following the route that pilgrims take on Palm Sunday. Matthew 21:1; and Mark 11:1 describe the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem at the beginning of the last week of his life. On our left, we pass the oldest Jewish cemetery in the world (3,000 years) The tombs include those of Absalom, son of King David, prophets Haggai, Malachi & Zechariah& Israel’s Prime Minister Menachem Begin.
• where Jesus wept over Jerusalem. In Matthew 24–25; Mark 13; Luke 21 Jesus foretells the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the world - 2 days before his Crucifixion. We see the beautiful architecture of the church.
• We then get to the traditional site of the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed just before he was betrayed by Judas Iscariot (Matthew 26; Mark 14). Once a lavish olive grove, (Gethsemane means Oil Press in ancient Hebrew) it is now the site of The Church of All Nations, adorned with vaulted ceilings and stained-glass windows. The Church is also called the Church of the Agony as it commemorates the place where Jesus spent his last night before his betrayal.
• We visit the Tomb of Mary the traditional site of Mary the Mother of God's tomb. Next to it is the Grotto which is believed the place where Jesus spent his last night.
• We then walk up the hill to the Old City of Jerusalem and enter the Lion's Gate. It is the beginning of the Via Dolorosa the Way of the Cross. This is the traditional route that Jesus took following his conviction by Pontius Pilate to the site of the crucifixion. We will see the first 9 stations of the Cross which are: (1) The place where Jesus was condemned to death; (2) Jesus is made to bear his cross (Church of the Flagellation / Church of the Imposition of the Cross and Church of Ecce Homo); (3) Jesus falls for the first time; (4) Jesus meets his mother (Church of Our Lady of Sorrows); (5) Simon of Cyrene is made to bear the cross (Chapel of Simon of Cyrene); (6) Veronica wipes Jesus’ face; (7) Jesus falls for the second time; (8) The women of Jerusalem weep over Jesus; (9) Jesus falls for the third time; 1 hour Lunch in the Christian Quarter of the Old City
• We enter the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This is the site of Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection and the last 5 stations of the Cross: Jesus is stripped of his garments; Jesus is nailed to the cross; Jesus dies on the cross; Jesus is taken down from the cross; and Jesus is placed in the sepulcher.
• We then walk to the Western Wall, the holiest site in Judaism and see the last remnant of the Holy Temple destroyed in the year 70 AD.