Mount of Olives

The Mount of Olives is a ridge east of Jerusalem that overlooks the location of the Temple. It is so called because olive groves covered much of the ridge in ancient times. A bit farther to the east is Bethany, home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus. The Mount is the place of a number of events in Jesus' life.
There are many churches here, 3 of which I'll mention. The 1st 2 pictures are the chapel of the Ascension. The original church dated to the 4th century. It was destroyed and rebuilt several times. The current octagonal chapel is built on the Byzantine and crusader structures. The 2nd picture is of the rock inside the chapel traditionally held to be the place from which Jesus ascended. The indentation is believed to be Jesus footprint.
The 2nd church I'll mention is the Pater Noster. This site dates to at least the 4th century and was known as the Church if the Disciples and Ascension. There is some evidence that this is where Jesus taught the disciples the pater noster (Our Father). The current buildings date to the 19th century. The largest part of the site is a cloister and olive garden, seen in the 3rd picture. The 4th picture is in the church. Notice the plaques to the left and right of the altar. These are 2 of the scores of similar plaques around the site that contain the Lord's Prayer in more languages than I could count.
The 3rd church I'll mention is actually my favorite, Dominus Flevit. Some of you may remember this from a sermon I preached. Dominus flevit means the Lord wept. This is traditionally the site where Jesus wept over Jerusalem. The 5th picture looks from inside the chapel out across the valley to where the temple stood in Jesus' time. The last picture is a detail of the front of the alter showing a hen gathering in her chicks under her wings and protecting them with her body.Leggi altro