The starting point for many Christian pilgrims, visiting Jerusalem, the Holy Land is the Via Dolorosa which became a place for pilgrimage because Jesus Christ was born there, preached Christianity and died there. Pilgrims go there to Jerusalem and the Holy land to walk where Jesus walked, usually travelling by coach a few Kilometres south of Jerusalem to start at the beginning at Bethlehem and the church of the Nativity.
Pilgrimage is a Journey usually made for Religious reasons, beyond the call of everyday worship to a place which is believed to be Holy. Even a short journey to a shrine can be a pilgrimage.
When the pilgrims go there they see the Mount Of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane and the Basilica of the agony in the foreground and the Grotto of Nativity, the church of the Nativity, The Tomb of Lazarus, The site of the Last Supper, the Via Dolorosa, The Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
The pilgrims that go there also want memorabilia from their pilgrimage to bring to there relatives at home such as water from the Jordon river or they sometimes bring handfuls of soil packed in clay plates with drawing and carvings of Christian religious places or religious symbols.
The Via Dolorosa, after the scourging and the mocking Jesus carried his cross along the Via Dolorosa ‘Way of Sorrows’. Every Friday afternoon during the tourist season, pilgrims travel along contemporary streets, between the place of judgment and Golgotha, where Jesus was crucified. The Good Friday procession is the most impressive.
Jesus’ last meal with his disciples was held in a large upper room furnished and prepared for the past over meal The Garden of Gethsemane. After the last supper, Jesus and his disciples went out to the Mount of Olives.
In east of Jerusalem there are many historic sites, one of which the church of St Anne. This church is in the east of Jerusalem and is said to be built on the home of Joachim and Anne who are the parents of Mary. A crypt on the floor marks inside the church marks where Mary was given birth. Another church in east Jerusalem is the church of the Holy Seplcure. This is a must see church for all the Christians who go on a pilgrimage.
A few people realise that Bethlehem is figuratively speaking, a stone’s throw from Jerusalem. Just about 4 miles away, it’s a fifteen minute drive from the city of Jerusalem to the city where Jesus Christ was born, which is Bethlehem. The name Bethlehem means ‘House of Bread’ in Hebrew and ‘House of meat’ in Arabic. It is the setting of the book of Ruth and the fields around it are where Ruth and Boaz met and fell in love. The church of the Nativity, the town’s focal point, is built like a fortress, and is probably the oldest Christian building in the world.
