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The Church of Dominus Flevit
The Church of Dominus Flevit
Monday, December 23, 2013
Continued ....
Third Day of my Holy Land Trip, Jerusalem
My Holy Land Trip
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| A view from the Rehavam Observation Point, Dome of the Rock, the Old City of Jerusalem, and the Jewish cemetery |
From Pater Noster
Church, we went to the Church of Dominus Flevit. The church is built on the
lower western foothills of Mount of Olives, facing the old city of Jerusalem,
on the eastern side of Kidron valley. It is accessed by foot through a
steep walkway, from either the top of Mt olives or from the bottom near the Basilica
of Agony and Mary's Tomb.
On the way to Church of Dominus Flevit, there
are many inmportant palces to see. A beautiful vision of Dome of the Rock, the
Old City of Jerusalem, and the Jewish cemetery from the Rehavam Observation
Point.
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| A view from the Rehavam Observation Point, Dome of the Rock, the Old City of Jerusalem, and the Jewish cemetery |
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| A view from the Rehavam Observation Point, Dome of the Rock, the Old City of Jerusalem, and the Jewish cemetery |
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A seen from Palm Sunday street,
on the way to Church of
Dominus Flevit
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 On Palm Sunday street |
Glory, praise and honor,
O Christ, our Savior-King, To thee in glad Hosannas Inspired children sing.
Palm Sunday: In the accounts of the four canonical
Gospels, Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem takes
place about a week before his Resurrection.
The symbolism is captured in Zechariah 9:9 "The
Coming of Zion's King – See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey". It was
perceived that Jesus was declaring he was the King of Israel to the anger of the Sanhedrin.
According to the Gospels, Jesus rode a donkey into
Jerusalem, and the celebrating people there laid down their cloaks in front of
him, and also laid down small branches of trees. The people sang part of Psalm 118: 25–26 – ... Blessed is He who comes in the name of
the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord ....
The symbolism of the donkey may refer to the
Eastern tradition that it is an animal of peace, versus the horse, which is the
animal of war.[1] A
king came riding upon a horse when he was bent on war and rode upon a donkey
when he wanted to point out he was coming in peace. Jesus' entry to Jerusalem
would thus symbolize his entry as the Prince of Peace, not as a war-waging king.
In Luke 19:41 as Jesus
approaches Jerusalem, he looks at the city and weeps over it (an event known as Flevit super illam in Latin
language), foretelling the suffering that awaits the city.
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| On Palm Sunday street |
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A Jewish cemetery beside the Palm Sunday Street
The Church of Dominus Flevit
Jerusalem
Dominus Flevit, ("the Lord has wept")
A Catholic Franciscan church, on the foothill of Mount of Olives, where Jesus visualizes the destruction of Jerusalem and cries. The church is shaped as a tear drop.
A Roman-Byzantine necropolis was also excavated at the site, revealing rich findings.
Luke 19, 41: "...he beheld the city, and wept over it." |
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| At the gate of Dominus Flevit Church, on Palm Sunday Street, Jerusalem |
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| Near to the Dominus Flevit Church, on Palm Sunday Street, Jerusalem |
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| Near to the Dominus Flevit Church, on Palm Sunday Street, Jerusalem |
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| Cross of Jewish showing on the door at the gate of The Church of Dominus Flevit.
The 5-cross symbol is based on the 5 Holy wounds of the crucifixion of Jesus (2 in the hands, 2 in the legs, and one in the chest).
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| Olive Trees near the Church of Dominus Flevit. |
It was an olive leaf that a dove from Noah's ark brought to
Noah, "Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly
plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded
from the earth" (Gen. 8:11)
One of the most remarkable trees is the olive tree. Most of
us are not too familiar with olive trees because they don't grow near where we
live. However, in the land of the Bible, it was, and is, the most important of
all the trees because it is a source of food, light, hygiene and healing.
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Russian Orthodox Church of Mary Magdalene (Golden Dome)
view from near the Church of Dominus Flevit, Mount of Olives
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Russian Orthodox Church of Mary Magdalene (Golden Dome)
view from near the Church of Dominus Flevit, Mount of Olives
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| The Basilica of the Dormition, Mount Zionview from near the Church of Dominus Flevit, Mount of Olives
“As
he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you,
even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is
hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build
an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They
will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will
not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s
coming to you.” (Luke 19:41-44)
The church is built on the lower western foothills of Mount of Olives, facing the old city of Jerusalem, on the eastern side of Kidron valley. It is accessed by foot through a steep walkway, from either the top of Mt olives or from the bottom near the Basilica of Agony and Mary's tomb.
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| In front of the Church of Dominus Flevit, Mt Olive, Jerusalem |
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This is
the view of the church from the west side.
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The church is structured as a tear drop in the form of a cross. It is a design of the Italian famous church architect, Antonio Barluzzi, who also designed other churches such as the Mount of Beatitudes, Visitation church in Ein Karem and Basilica of Agony. The church was built in 1954.
