My Holy Land Trip

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Church of All Nations
Jerusalem

Monday, ‎December ‎23, ‎2013

Third Day of my Holy Land Trip, Jerusalem

My Holy Land Trip

Church of All Nations, Jerusalem

Church of All Nations,

left side of the church is Garden of Gethsemane

Basilica of Agony (Church of All Nations)

A Catholic Franciscan church, one of the most magnificent churches in the Holy Land. This place, Gethsemane on the foothill of Mount of Olives, was the site where Jesus had his last prayer before he was betrayed and arrested.

In the idyllic setting of Gethsemane, one of the most evocative sights in all Jerusalem, rises the Church of All Nations, built by the Italian architect Antonio Barluzzi between 1919 and 1924. The church, known also as the Basilica of the Agony, in reference to the night that Christ spent there on the eve of his Passion, blends the architectural lines typical of the Christian basilica (the facade) with the salient features of Islamic buildings (sides, and roof with numerous small domes).

Church of All Nations,

a view from the Garden of Gethsemane

The name "Church of All Nations" commemorates the contributions made by many countries to its construction. The flags of the nations are represented inside the little domes which give the whole a distinctly oriental tone. On the site of the present church there raised first a fourth century Byzantine church, later transformed by the Crusaders into a basilica.

A Catholic Franciscan church, built in 1924 by donations from many nations (hence one of its names). It is one of the most magnificent churches, located on the east bank of valley Kidron at the foothill of Mount of Olives. The front of the church, facing the temple mount, is covered by a large mosaic picture. According to the new testament, this place was the site where Jesus had his last prayer before he was betrayed and arrested by the Romans.

Main Entrance of The Church of All Nations,
(Church of the Agony)

The facade, enclosed by an elegant wrought iron fence, stands at the top of a flight of steps. A mass of pillars supports the great arches surrounding the atrium, while the tympanum is adorned with a modern mosaic representing Jesus as the Link between God and the Human Race. Inside, some remnants of the mosaic paving document the existence of the ancient Byzantine church. The presbytery is the part of the church which most attracts the attention, since a large fragment of the rock on which Jesus is supposed to have prayed the night before the Passion can be seen in front of the high altar. The rock is entirely surrounded by a crown of thorns in wrought iron. In the lunette in the apse is a mosaic representing Christ in Agony being consoled by an Angel. In the side apses are other mosaic representations of episodes in Jesus' passion, such as the Kiss of Judas and the Arrest of Jesus.

In the view, The Church of All Nations,
left side of the church is Garden of Gethsemane

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. Its name (Gat Shemanim - means in Hebrew: oil press) came from the olive press that was used to process the olives.

The church is located on the junction of 3 roads - to the old city via Lions gate, the road up Mount Olives, and the road to Jericho.

On this rock Jesus prayed short before being found
and caught by the priest soldiers, betrayed by Juda,
Inside the Church of All Nations, Jerusalem,
next to Garden of Gethsemane

Another view of the rock where Jesus prayed

Inside the Church of All Nations

The photo below shows the main altar inside the basilica, which faces the east. The painting illustrates the moment when Jesus secluded in his prayer, on the Holy rock, and flanked by the olive trees.

The Dome of the Rock and the Golden Gate of Jerusalem,
View taken from the Church of All Nations

Another view of the main altar inside the basilica

Explanations about the Gethsemane complex,

Inside the Church of All Nations

The natural grotto, about 190 square meters in area, is basically unchanged from the time of Jesus. It is believed to be where the disciples slept while Jesus prayed, and where Jesus was betrayed by Judas and arrested. It may also be the location of Jesus’ night-time meeting with Nicodemus (John 3:1-21)

Explanations about the Gethsemane complex,

Inside the Church of All Nations

Walkway from the Church of All Nations,
next to Garden of Gethsemane

Bell Tower Near by the Church of All Nations,
next to Garden of Gethsemane

Grotto where the disciples slept

Access to the Grotto of Gethsemane is along a narrow walled passageway leading to the right from the open courtyard in front of the Tomb of Mary.

On the way to the Grotto of Gethsemane,
The Church of the Assumption at the Mt Olives

Right side of the entrance leads to the grotto of Gethsemane
Entrance to the Grotto of Gethsemane, Jerusalem

View from the Church of the Assumption

Entrance to the Grotto of Gethsemane, Jerusalem

The picture shows below, our first mass in holy land, chapel inside the grotto of Gethsemane where the disciples slept while Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane

The picture shows below, Fr. Dansy, my companion in Holy Land, chapel inside the grotto of Gethsemane where the disciples slept while Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane