Jerusalem. A visit to its shrines does not leave anyone indifferent, this is a place where Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are intertwined. For the adherents of all these religions, Jerusalem is pain and faith, strength and rebirth. Believers, tourists, just curious people come from all over the world to plunge into the atmosphere of this ancient city, to see with their own eyes a huge number of places of worship, both Orthodox and Catholic.
Center of the world
The greatest cult shrines, they are also the greatest human sorrows, are the Church of the Resurrection of Christ (also known as the Church of the Holy Sepulcher) and Mount Golgotha, where, according to legend, Jesus Christ was crucified and buried. Calvary is a hill that resembles a human skull. Literally translated from the Hebrew, the word Golgotha means "head, skull." In ancient treatises, it is said that the area where the cruel deed took place was not far from the city, it was buried in greenery, but after the crucifixion it became lifeless.
According to legend, the skull of Adam was also buried under Calvary, and the blood of Jesus, flowing down on him, washed all mankind from sins. The followers of Christianity have always identified Calvary with the concept of the center of the world.
Stop - death on the cross
When you enter the interior of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher along the central entrance, you need to turn right onto the stairs leading up to Calvary. The mountain today is an eminence with a height of 5 meters. Many say that it is as if illuminated by a mysterious light.
Two thrones were built there: a Catholic throne and an Orthodox throne. The Catholic throne was erected during the period of the Crusaders and placed where, according to legend, Christ was nailed to the cross. Hence - the Throne of the Nailing to the Cross. Monomakh built a throne in the 11th century, which belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church.
This throne was built exactly in the place where Christ's Cross is. It is impossible not to see black circles - these are robber crucifixes. The path of sorrow, the last earthly path, the painful path before the resurrection, 14 stops mark the path of Christ to Calvary. Stop 12 - Death on the Cross.
Visitors can observe a large gap in the mountain, it arose at the moment when Jesus accepted death - so the legend says. And as a token of reverence and gratitude for the Great Humiliation suffered by Christ, the priests of the Temple carry out services without Met. The expression Way of the Cross means the ascent of Christ to Calvary.
With special invitations in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, you can see unique things from the sacristy.
Pilgrimage as a path of purification
Now pilgrims are striving to walk along Christ's road to death and rebirth. Every stop of Jesus along that mournful journey is a memorial. The pilgrimage begins at the place where Jesus was held captive. In the cave where Jesus was kept, there is still a bench with slits for the legs, it held the prisoner and did not allow him to walk.
Of the fourteen, nine of Jesus' stops are located in the Old City of Jerusalem. The other five stops are on the territory of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher itself.
