Along the Via Dolorosa are 14 so-called stations - the Stations of the Cross - and at each place something significant happened.
Jesus having been judged and sentenced to death by the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate (Station 1), he was then flogged (Station 2) and made to carry this own cross from there to Golgotha or Cavalry, outside the city walls, where crucifixions took place.
The first two stations are no longer openly accessible. One of them is now the site of a school while th other has had chruches built upon it! The way is narrow and crowded and the ground level in those days was significantly lower than it is now and the street was wider.
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| Our journey along the Via Dolorosa begins |
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| The golden dome of the Al-Aqsa Mosque is just visible centre top. This is the nearest that infidels are allowed to get to the Temple Mount. Israeli security staff controlling access from this side arm of the Via Dolorosa are the shadowy figures at the top of the steps. |
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| This is not an Israeli Jewish or Christian part of the city and yet an Israeli has managed to buy a property here and provocatively puts out Israei flags! |
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| The 3rd Station of the Cross - Jesus falls for the first time |
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| The point where Jesus is believed to have stumbled and touch the side of the Via Dolorosa. Pilgrims also touch the spot. |
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| Station 6 is the house of Veronica and this is believed to be a pillar from her house. She took pity on Jesus and offered him a cloth to mop his face with. The cloth immediately took on the image of his face! |
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| The 7th station. Jesus falls for the 2nd time |
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| Jesus meets the pious women (only mentioned in Luke's Gospel) at the 8th station and finds time to deliver a sermon!- and this is not one of the women! |
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| We finally begin to emerge into daylight and approach the final 5 stations of the Cross, all of which are inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre |
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| The entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre |
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| This place is beset by wrangles between the various Christian sects - the Roman Catholics, the Greek Orthodox, the Coptic Christians and the Armenian Christians. Following Saladin's success in defeating the Crusaders in the Middle Ages, the Arabs controlled this area for man years and tried to knock heads together to get some sense of order. For example, to move this ladder might well take years of negotiation between the parties in order to reach agreement! |
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| The spot where it is believed that Jesus's body was laid out and washed after he was taken down from the cross (Station 13) |
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| Showing Jesus being taken down from the cross and laid out after death |
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| Where Jesus was stripped of his garments (Station 10) |
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| Reputed to be the pice of rock where the cross was fixed to the stoney outcrop of Golgotha (Station 12) |
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| The tomb which Simon of Arimithea made avalable for Christ to be buried in. There was a long queue to go inside and we didn't go! |
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| We finally escaped the heaving masses in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and emerged by David's Tower - which has nothing to do with King David! |
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