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Monday, November 28, 2022
We walked over to the famed Machaneh Yehudah Market. It’s a well known outdoor market that is frequented by locals and tourists alike. It sits directly between our apartment and the old city. Given that it’s about 1.2 miles from the Old City it’s probably not visited by people on formal tours and we’ve never seen tourist buses there. It’s much larger than the markets we’d enjoyed in Italy and has a vast array of things to buy and see.
The first thing we did was take a lap around the entire thing. There’s the market proper. It’s a very long row of stalls in a covered building with many spurs. Then there’s the surrounding streets which are not technically part of the market but effectively extend the market for several blocks. It’s a lot to take in. People are selling breads, pastries, sandwiches, fruit, cheese, candy, halva, tahini, tea, spices, fish, meat, prepared foods, and so much more. What makes it even more fun is that you have both Israeli and Arab specialty shops. You know what we’ve never seen: bagels. They just don’t make them here.
Tuesday, November 29, 2022
We took the day off. We’re going to be in Jerusalem for two months. There’s no point in killing ourselves – yet. Besides, we needed time to eat all of the stuff we bought at the market yesterday.
Wednesday, November 30, 2022
We got an early start and headed directly for The Church of the Holy Sepulchre. There are a lot of things to see there and we had yet to see The Tomb of Jesus. The church opens at 4:00 am. We got there around 7:45 am. Surely we’d get there before the rush. WRONG! There were two huge tour groups waiting in line. Apparently the tomb doesn’t open until 8:00 am. By 8:30 am we’d seen the tomb. Here’s a little about the church.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is one of the most sacred places in the world for Christians. It was built by Saint Helena and was consecrated in 335 AD. Helena, the mother of Roman Emperor Constantine The Great, traveled to the Middle East in search of information and relics regarding the life of Jesus. Because her expeditions were soon after his life her findings are considered to have high regard. The church, mostly in the Eastern Orthodox / Byzantine style, encompasses many of the last stations of the cross.
To the right is a steep set of stairs that goes up to Calvary or Golgotha. This is said to be the actual hilltop where Jesus was crucified. Off to the right side is the so-called “Undressing Room” sometimes referred to as “The Division of Robes”. A small chapel has been built in that room. Entry is not permitted. This corresponds to the Tenth Station of the Cross.
This area is also where Jesus was nailed to the cross (Station 11). In the back of the room there is a hole in the rock where his cross was placed. He died on the cross (Station 12). Back downstairs near the entry there is a large slab known as The Anointing Stone or Stone of Unction. This is the place where Jesus’ body was prepared for burial (Station 13).
Finally, there is the tomb. To the left of the Anointing Stone is a rotunda which contains an Aedicule (Shrine). There are often long lines of people waiting to enter. There is an anti-chamber which contains a fragment of “The Angel’s Stone”, believed to be a portion of the slab that covered the tomb. In the back is the actual tomb (Station 14). As is typical for us we did the stations backwards. It just gives us an excuse to come back on another day and start from number one.
Given the relevance to all Christian sects the administration of the church and its relics has not been without controversy. In 1757 the Ottomans helped create the “Status Quo” agreement which established The Roman Catholics, The Greek Orthodox, and the Armenian Apostolic churches as the primary custodians. In the 19th Century the Coptic Orthodox, Ethiopian Orthodox, and Syriac Orthodox churches were given lesser responsibilities. As far back as 1192 control of the main entrance was given to the Muslims to help avoid conflicts. It remains that way to this very day. There are still disagreements about which sect owns which rooms and who controls which shrines, etc., but the church seems to run fairly smoothly in spite of it all.
On the other side of the city we found The Tomb of King David. According to “Medieval Tradition”, it was on this site on Mount Zion where he was buried. Today no evidence of his tomb exists. There are several large, rooms with vaulted ceilings and a plaque. In the back is a small synagog where Jews can pray and hold services.
Next we returned to the room of The Last Supper. Last time we were there it was very crowded and we didn’t get any decent pictures. The place, also known as The Cenacle, is on the floor above King David’s Tomb. The original building was probably a synagog from the early 300s. It was later turned into a church and was expanded by the Crusaders. When the Ottomans took over they turned the building into a Mosque and added a Minaret. It still retains its Muslim character. It’s just a large, empty room with vaulted ceilings. There is nothing of import to see. It’s just an interesting place to visit.
Nearby is the Dormition Abbey. It is said to be the place where Mary, the mother of Jesus, died. Later traditions assert that she ascended to heaven. We tried to enter but the church was closed for construction. One of the workers told me that it would be at least two months before it opens again.
Our last stop for the day was Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu. According to tradition, during The Last Supper, Jesus told Peter that he would deny him three times before the cock crowed the next day. This church is reportedly the site where that prediction came true. Given that it may not surprise you to lean that Gallicantu translates from the Latin into “Cockcrow”.
The church is easy to see but it is outside of the old city’s walls. I put the address into Google and we were off. We went out the Zion Gate and followed a switchback road down the hill. The road was a dead end. I checked the map and there was no way to get to the church from where we were so we went all the way back up the hill. We were pretty annoyed. Back on top we were inspecting the map trying to figure out a way when we realized that there was a sign just outside the Zion Gate indicating a small road as the way to go. We were even MORE annoyed. To add insult to injury we were charged 10₪ (about $3.00) per person to enter. Cash only.
A shrine was erected on this spot in 457 AD but was later destroyed in 1010 AD. It was rebuilt by the crusaders in 1102 AD and was again destroyed in 1187. The current version dates from 1937. The interior nods to the Byzantine but is thoroughly modern. There is a lovely cross on the ceiling made of stained glass windows. Downstairs is another, smaller chapel in similar style. Further below you will find “The Sacred Pit”. This is believed to be the place, near Caiaphas’ palace, where Jesus was kept overnight while awaiting trial by the Sanhedren.
Outside the church are quite a few ancient ruins. There is a remnant of a Jewish Mill and the Tomb of Stephanos, who built the first church for Empress Eudokia. A set of stairs has been excavated referred to as, “The Holy Stairs”. It is thought that Jesus climbed them when being brought from Gethsemane to Caiaphas’ palace.
A HUGE shout out to our friend Jennifer Sands who has enthusiastically given us so much help. Jennifer runs her own tours to The Holy Land and has the inside dope on everything here. She mentioned to us that Israel has always been a little pricey but COVID hit the tourist industry very hard. As a consequence prices have gotten a little out of control.