- Address: Jerusalem, Israel;
- Website: gethsemane-en.custodia.org;
- Phone: +972 2-626-6444;
- Opening hours: 8:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 18:00.
Jerusalem is rich in ancient attractions, which attract tourists from all over the world. Regardless of the power of faith, almost every person dreams of touching the holy places at different times of their lives. One of such sacred places for all Christianity is the Garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem.
Features of the Garden of Gethsemane
The Garden of Gethsemane is still famous for its fruit-bearing olive trees. Despite the fact that in 70 the Roman troops almost completely destroyed Jerusalem and cut down all the olives in the garden, the trees restored their growth, thanks to incredible viability. Therefore, conducted research and analysis of DNA proved that the roots of many olives on the Mount of Olives grow from the very beginning of our era, that is, they were contemporaries of Christ.
According to the official Christian religion, Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane held his last night before the agony and crucifixion in incessant prayer. Therefore this place today is famous for the inexhaustible flow of tourists from different countries. Guides and guides say that it was precisely these centuries-old olives that Jesus prayed for. Although, many scholars are inclined to believe that this could be any place in the place of Gethsemane, in the center of which is an olive garden.
Gethsemane Garden - description
Once in Jerusalem, it is easy to determine where the Garden of Gethsemane is located, it is listed in all the guidebooks, brochures and in any hotel you can find a guide who is ready to provide an excursion to this place. The garden is located at the slopes of the Olive or Mount of Olives in the Kidron Valley. The Garden of Gethsemane occupies a small area of 2300 m². The distant part of the garden borders on the basilica of Borenia or the Church of All Nations. The garden is fenced with a high stone fence, the entrance to the garden is free. The Garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem, pictured in booklets and travel brochures, reflects the present state of the landscape. Despite the great daily traffic, the order in the Garden of Gethsemane is carefully monitored, on the territory of the clean, the paths between the trees are strewn with fine white gravel.
From the second half of the 19th century, the Gethsemane Garden is run by the Franciscan monastic order of the Catholic Church, thanks to their efforts, a tall stone fence was erected around the garden.
Gethsemane Garden (Israel) today is one of the main places for visiting tourists and pilgrims. Entrance to the garden is carried out from 8.00 to 18.00 with a two-hour break from 12.00 to 14.00. Not far from the garden there are several souvenir shops, where oil from the olives of the Garden of Gethsemane and beads made of olive seeds are served.
Church next to the Garden of Gethsemane
Near the olive garden are several iconic churches for the Christian world:
- The Church of All Nations , which also belongs to the Franciscans. Inside it there is a stone in the altar part, on which, according to legend, Jesus prayed on the night before his arrest.
- A little to the north of the Garden of Gethsemane is the Church of the Assumption , in which, according to the legend, there are the graves of Joachim and Anna, the parents of the Virgin, and also the burial of the Virgin Mary herself, after the opening of which, the belt of the Virgin was found, and her burial veil. Today the Church of Assumption belongs to the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem.
- In the immediate vicinity is the Russian Orthodox Church of Mary Magdalene , under which operates the Gethsemane Convent.
All these churches are located within walking distance from the Garden of Gethsemane, tourists can easily get there to touch the Christian shrines.
How to get there?
The Garden of Gethsemane can be reached easily by public transport. To do this, you can use one of two options:
- Go by bus number 43 or No. 44 from Damascus Gate .
- To get on the bus routes of firm "Egged" under numbers 1, 2, 38, 99, you need to get to the stop "Lion's Gate", and then walk about 500 m.