Holy ground

By Lori Erickson/Correspondent

JERUSALEM - Jerusalem has more holy sites per square inch than any other place on earth. From the Jewish Western Wall and the Islamic Dome of the Rock to Christianity's Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the city is full of sacred places honored by three of the world's major faiths. For Christian visitors to Jerusalem, visiting during Easter season holds special meaning. By re-tracing the steps of Jesus through the city, they enter into a story two millennia old.

That journey can be disorienting at times, for with 5,000 years of habitation, Jerusalem is a dizzying mix of modern metropolis and ancient landmarks. Particularly in its Old City, the streets are a cacophony of languages, sounds and images, a place where Greek Orthodox nuns, Jews wearing tefillin, and elderly Muslims fingering worry beads pass by in a continuous stream of humanity.

A good place to sort out the complicated history of the city is the Israel Museum, which has the world's most extensive holdings relating to biblical archaeology. Its most famous treasure is the Dead Sea Scrolls, which are housed in a separate structure known as the Shrine of the Book. The shrine's exhibits explore the history and significance of the 2,000-year-old manuscripts and tell the story of how they were discovered in 1947 by a Bedouin shepherd in search of a lost goat.

The shrine's unusually shaped building was designed by American Jewish architects Armand P. Bartos and Frederic J. Kiesler. Its white dome symbolizes the lids of the jars in which the first scrolls were found. The darkened corridor leading into the shrine is meant to evoke the atmosphere of a cave, recalling the site near the Dead Sea where the ancient manuscripts were discovered.

Just outside of the shrine is a model of first-century Jerusalem. Constructed according to descriptions of the city written by the Jewish-Roman historian Josephus Flavius, the model shows how the Second Temple dominated the city and provides valuable historical context for what visitors will see when they enter the oldest part of Jerusalem.

The pilgrim's trail next leads to the Mount of Olives, which lies just east of the Old City. Its top offers a stunning view of Jerusalem, particularly at dawn and dusk. The huge platform on which the shrine rests - known as the Al-Haram al-Sharif or the Temple Mount - was the site of the Second Temple before its destruction in 70 C.E.

The Mount of Olives features several revered holy sites. At its base, the Church of All Nations marks the location where Jesus is believed to have prayed on the night before his death. A small grove of olive trees, some of which date back at least 1,500 years, grows outside of the church. The church itself was built from 1919 to 1924 over the ruins of two earlier churches. The splendid mosaics that adorn its interior domes honor the dozen nations that contributed to the building of the sanctuary, while the mosaics at the altar depict Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. In keeping with the somber story commemorated here, the lighting in the church is kept low.

Nearby is the Tomb of the Virgin Mary, an underground crypt where the mother of Jesus is said to be buried. Parts of the church were built by the Crusaders in the 12th century. Dimly lit by lamps and filled with exquisite Orthodox icons, the church is shared by the Armenian and Greek Orthodox Churches.

Just up the hill is Dominus Flevit, a small chapel built by architect Antonio Barluzzi in 1955. It sits on the ruins of a seventh-century Byzantine church and is constructed in the shape of a tear to reflect the weeping of Jesus over the fate of Jerusalem. The best view in Jerusalem is said to be visible out of the window above its altar.

Visitors next enter the Old City, a labyrinthine maze of bazaars, street cafes, houses and religious sites enclosed by massive walls built by the Turkish sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in 1538. Jerusalem's unique mix of piety, history and politics is at its most complex in the Old City, a place that can be explored in a day but not fully understood in a lifetime.

The city has a number of important Christian sites, including St. James Cathedral, an ornate Armenian church famous for its daily vesper service, and the neo-Romanesque Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, a popular spot because of its bell tower views. The Old City's legendary pilgrimage route is the Via Dolorosa or “Way of Sorrow.” Walking the path is an act of devotion made by nearly every Christian visitor to the city, a re-enactment of the journey followed by Jesus from the Roman judgment court to his crucifixion. The route begins in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City and includes fourteen stations, several of which include chapels for meditation and prayer.

The Via Dolorosa ends in the Christian Quarter at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the place where by tradition, Jesus was crucified and laid in a tomb (during his life, this spot would have been outside the city walls). Jointly maintained by six Christian denominations, the dimly lit sanctuary is regarded by many as the holiest site in Christianity.

Over the centuries, the church has been destroyed and rebuilt several times, with much of the current building dating back to the 12th century. It's not a church in the conventional sense, but rather a series of shrines and chapels. Inside its massive front door, visitors climb the stairs to Golgotha, a spot marked with a gilded and highly ornamented Greek Orthodox altar. Descending the stairs, they pass by the Stone of Unction, which commemorates the spot where Jesus' dead body was anointed and wrapped for the grave, and then enter the sepulcher itself.

This ancient church filled with people speaking languages from around the world is a testimony to the global reach of Christianity. Pilgrims from nations that include Nigeria, Russia, China, Brazil, and the United States mingle here, drawn to this sacred place and this storied city that has witnessed both bloodshed and holiness for many centuries.