burial and His resurrection and ascension. In Christianity, the Jewish connection with the city is considered as the account of God’s relationship with His chosen people - the original covenant - and the essential prelude to the events narrated in the New Testament, including both universal commandments (e.g. the Ten Commandments) and those specific to Judaism- the “old order.” In medieval Christian thought, Jerusalem was considered to be the center of the world (Latin: umbilicus mundi, Greek: Omphalos), and was represented in various medieval maps. Byzantine hymns speak of the Cross being “planted in the center of the earth,” and the imagery is tied to the concept of the Death and resurrection of Jesus being for the benefit of all humankind. Medieval maps of Europe usually placed the East (“orient”; Jerusalem) at the top, and this arrangement led to the use of the term “to orient” to mean to align a map with actual compass directions. The magnetism of Jerusalem has not diminished over the years. The city spreads in golden splendor across the Judean hills, reaching up to the heavens and gathering in unto itself the long lines of pilgrims of all faiths and all nations that converge in this one place. A holy city, a city of the spirit and the soul, where the voice of God can be heard whispering in the ancient stones. The pilgrim to Jerusalem undergoes a deeply moving experience. It is a visit with enormous historical and religious content. At least three or four days are necessary to see the holy sites, and greater the joy if the pilgrim has some time in hand simply to wander down the narrow lanes. Jesus visited Jerusalem several times during His lifetime, and the events of His final visit to Jerusalem, which took place during the fateful week of Passover in the year 30 AD, led to His crucifixion. The places marking His triumphal entry, the Last Supper, the Gethsemane arrest,
the Betrayal by Peter, the final passage along the Via Dolorosa and the execution and burial are maintained by Christian communities of various denominations. Over the centuries churches have been built and rebuilt on or by them, and periods of history are layered one upon the other, making the city a true living museum. Jerusalem’s Christian Quarter grew up around the Church of the Holy Sepulcher - Golgotha, according to Catholic tradition. The church contains the final five stations of the Via Dolorosa - the 14 Stations of the Cross. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is a vast, confusing, and in many ways overwhelming building, set at the very heart of Christendom. Hundreds of thousands of visitors are drawn every year to this church, which has been a place of worship almost constantly for nearly 2000 years. The first Jerusalem Christian community worshipped here until at least 66 AD (when it became impossible to do so), despite the fact that around 42 AD the site was included within an expansion of the city walls. Although it had been incorporated into the city, it was not built upon, suggesting the acknowledgement and acceptance of its role as a place of devotion and worship. Emperor Constantine was responsible for building the first real church on this site, and since then there have been many layers of building and development, especially in the Crusader period. Today’s church is vast, encompassing the sites that are believed by many to be the locations of both Golgotha and Jesus’ tomb, which is housed in the Rotunda, a building within a building, under a great dome. A small entrance takes visitors into a central chamber, known as the Chapel of the Angel, from which there is another even smaller entrance into the place of Jesus’ burial - revered by many Christians as the holiest spot in the world. It is a tiny, marbled area, only large enough
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