One of the most impressive churches in Jerusalem has been built on this site - the Church of the Agony, or, as it is usually known, the Church of All Nations, reflecting the considerable international funding that went into its construction. It was constructed in 1924 on the site of two earlier churches, a Crusader oratory deserted in the 14th century and, prior to that, a 4th-century chapel. Its sanctuary contains some exposed rock, venerated as the place where Jesus knelt in prayer. If not the actual site, it cannot be a great distance from it. There are many fine mosaics here, depicting the events associated with the spot, including the betrayal of Jesus by Judas, which led to His arrest, trial and incarceration at the House of the Jewish High Priest. While it is impossible to say with any certainty where the House of the Jewish High Priest was located, many think it may have been to the west of the city, on the edge of Mount Zion, where a modern and very recently renovated church run by a French religious order now stands. Named St. Peter in Gallicantu (St. Peter and the Crowing of the Cock), it was built on the site of a sixth-century church and is surrounded by many excavated cellars, stables, cisterns and other such items dating from the Herodian period. For some 1500 years, the site has been associated with Jesus’ encounter with the local authorities and, perhaps more importantly from a spiritual perspective, with Peter’s threefold denial of Jesus, and Catalan pilgrims nearly 700 years ago mention Gallicantu as the site of a beautiful church. The current church is situated at the top of a flight of old stone steps dating from the first century, and if indeed, this is the site of Jesus’ first imprisonment, it is almost certain that the steps there are those He would have been forced to climb. Excavated rooms found under the church that may well have been cellars, or even dungeons, in which Jesus may have been held until Good Friday morning. Via Dolorosa From here, the story of Jesus moves to the possible site of Pilate’s palace and the fateful walk down the Via Dolorosa. Jesus was taken to Pontius Pilate, who ultimately condemned Him to be crucified, and one of the highlights of many a Christian pilgrimage to the Holy Land is to follow the steps that Jesus took to His death. There is far from total certainty as to where Pilate’s palace was located, but over the centuries, tradition has located the site of Jesus’ condemnation, and His subsequent walk with His cross, to the place of execution at Golgotha. Pilgrim tradition has led to a devotional practice known as the Stations of the Cross - a series of fourteen stations associated with Jesus in the last hours of His life, from
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