Israel: Jerusalem – Christian Quarter
The Via Dolorosa – Jerusalem’s famous Christian pilgrimage path – leads into the Church of Holy Sepulchre with the last stations of the cross inside the basilica itself, this is where the crucifixion took place on the Stone of Unction. The place looks quite different during the daylight hours and there’s more to explore. Besides the crucifixion altar and the empty tomb, there are many other smaller chapels and churches, Eastern Orthodox and Armenian, all interconnected, lavishly decorated and dark-lit. Highlights include the Chapel of Adam, crusader tombs, Place of the Three Mary’s, Angel’s Chapel, Chapel of the Copts, Chapel of the Jacobites, Chapel of the Franciscans, Chapel of St. Helena, and so on and so forth. Luckily, not that many people at midday as expected – after all the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the most holy place of the Christian faith of all denominations.
