The Mount of Olives in Israel is an object, an importancewhich for world culture is very difficult to overestimate. This monument of history and architecture is also a sacred place for representatives of several religions at once.
Mount of Olives (Israel) and its geography
In terms of orography, this is not even a mountain, but a ridgehills, stretching along the northeastern, eastern and southeastern tip of Jerusalem. It consists of three separate peaks, the highest of which reaches an absolute height of 826 meters.
On the south side of the ridge is bordered Mountain of grief(or doom). From the city itself, the Mount of Olives is separated by the Cadron Valley. Below, on the western slopes, is the area called Gethsemane. It is here, according to the scriptures, that Jesus Christ prayed before his arrest.
From ancient times these hills were planted with olive trees, in connection with which the mountain received its second name - the Olive. Eight of the oldest olives grow within the Garden of Gethsemane today.
Sacred value of the mountain
The Mount of Olives is revered both by Jews andChristians of different rites. In Judaism, it is the place where David worshiped God. It is with the Mount of Olives that the end of the world connects with the Hebrew prophet Ezekiel.
In Christianity, the Mount of Olives is considered the place of Christ’s last prayer before his arrest. Here he ascended to heaven.
Mentioned in the sacred texts and the Gethsemanegarden. In particular, the Gospel says that it was Jesus who often came here with his disciples to pray. Here he was betrayed by one of them - Judah.
Mount of Olives (Jerusalem): main attractions
On the slopes and three tops of the ridge is concentrated a huge number of architectural monuments, sacred places and attractions. Among them:
- ancient Jewish cemetery;
- the tomb of the Virgin Mary;
- the cave of the prophets;
- Temple of all nations;
- Catholic Church of Our Father;
- Ascension Monastery;
- the church of Mary Magdalene;
- Gethsemane Garden and others.
Ancient jewish cemetery
If you look at the Mount of Olives from Jerusalem,Immediately struck a huge number of tombstones, which are literally littered with its western slopes. All these are the graves of an ancient Jewish cemetery. Here there are at least 150 thousand!
It is here, according to the book of the prophet Zechariah,the resurrection of the dead will begin at the end of the days of our world. On the mountain is located the so-called Cave of the Prophets, in which there are 36 burial niches. Among them is the tomb of the prophet Zechariah.
The first burials on the Mount of Olives are scientistsdating back to IX-X centuries BC. Now on this place is the Arab residential quarter Siluan. Later, the cemetery began to expand and occupied the slopes of the ridge. In the middle of the twentieth century, when the Mount of Olives belonged to Jordan, many graves and tombstones were destroyed, devastated or desecrated.
Tomb of the Virgin Mary
Tomb of the Most Holy Theotokos (Virgin Mary) - oneof the most important Christian shrines. It is located in Gethsemane, above it was built the cave church of the Assumption of the Virgin. Representatives of several denominations have access to worship in this temple.
It is here, according to the sacred texts of the apostles, that the Virgin Mary was buried, elevated to the rank of saints by the Christian church.
Храм находится под землей.Having entered it, the pilgrim falls on a wide staircase consisting of 48 steps. The tomb of the Virgin Mary is located in a small chapel - a room measuring 2 by 2 meters. The total length of the underground church is 34 meters, and the width is only 6. Right behind the chapel, in the icon-case of pink marble, is kept the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, which is highly revered by the Orthodox.
They attend the underground church of the Assumption of the Virgin and Muslims, who also worship the Virgin Mary.
Church of All Nations
The Basilica of the Agony of the Lord, or the Church of All Nations- This is perhaps the most famous temple on the Mount of Olives. The temple was built in the 1920s at that place in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus performed his last prayer in freedom.
The author of the basilica was the Italian architect Antonio Barluzzi. The temple was erected on donations from twelve states of the world. That is why it is decorated with 12 domes.
The temple of all nations is Catholic, but representatives of other faiths can hold their services at the open altar near the church.
Church of Mary Magdalene
Еще один прекрасный храм, который украшает склоны The Mount of Olives is the Russian Orthodox Church of St. Mary Magdalene. It was built at the end of the XIX century. Several relics are kept here, in particular the miraculous icon "Odigitria", as well as the relics of Princess Elizabeth Feodorovna and the nun Barbara, who were martyred in 1918 at the hands of the Bolsheviks.
The temple, built of white and gray local stone,is an excellent example of Russian architecture. The structure has seven domes and a small bell tower. The interiors of the church of tourists and pilgrims are amazed by the most beautiful floor made of colored marble, as well as the iconostasis decorated with bronze ornaments.
Finally...
Thus, the Mount of Olives (Olive) inJerusalem is a sacred place with a lot of attractions. Every true believer dreams to visit her, to touch the holy relics of ancient temples.
