- Address: Jerusalem, Israel;
- Height: 826 m;
- Sightseeing: the Church of Augustus Victoria, the Savior-Ascension Monastery, the Church of Pater Noster, the Ascension Chapel, the Greek Monastery of the Ascension, the Church of All Nations and others.
The famous Olive preaching, treacherous betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane , the place of worship of King David, the most famous Jewish cemetery , the Ascension of Christ. All this is connected with the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem . On its slopes you will find a lot of cultural, historical, architectural and biblical monuments, and also enjoy amazing panoramas of the sacred "city of three religions" that open from the peaks of the Mount of Olives.
A bit of history and interesting facts
- the mountain has two names: the Olivet (after one of the most famous sermons of Christ) and the Olive (from the thick olive groves that covered almost the entire height);
- the highest point is 826 meters;
- the first mention is in the Old Testament (the story of the flight from Jerusalem by King David from the son of Absalom);
- the whole mountain range consists of three peaks: the Southern (the Mount of Seduction, where Solomon built the temples for his wives), the Middle (Mount of Ascension) and the Northern (Malaya Galilee, named so, because here the Wanderers from Galilee often stayed here at inns);
- It is rather symbolic that the Mount of Olives from Jerusalem is about 1000 steps away - it is so much allowed to pass the pious Jew on Saturday (therefore the road from the city to the mountain is often called the "Sabbath way");
- in the times of the Second Temple there was a bridge connecting the two main metropolitan mountains - the Olive and the Temple Mountains;
- The Mount of Olives in the late 7th century acquired special significance for the Jews (then access to the Temple Mount was closed and all public assemblies and national holidays were held on the Olive Hills;
- The legendary mountain during the War of Independence experienced a difficult day, then Jordan almost completely captured these lands, not counting the main campus of the university, many buildings were destroyed, and the cemetery was desecrated;
- in 1967 the Mount of Olives again passed to Israel, large-scale restoration work was carried out to restore buildings, tombstones and all historical monuments.
What to see on the Mount of Olives?
Given the proximity to the sacred biblical city, it is easy to assume that on the mountain you can find more than one religious building. The most famous of them are:
- the Augusta Victoria Church is a beautiful building in neo-Byzantine style with a high bell tower, statues of eagles at the entrance, luxurious interior decoration and a large organ (at different times there was a guest house, a temple, a military headquarters and a hospital, worship services and classical music concerts are held today);
- The Savior-Ascension Monastery (under the diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church) is famous for its high 64-meter bell tower, nicknamed the "Russian Candle", the stone of the Virgin, where the Virgin Mary stood during the Ascension of Christ and the outstanding archaeological finds in these places (Herod the Great bust, mosaic floors of the VI century, burial caves and other ancient artifacts);
- the Church of Pater Noster - according to the legend, it was here that the Son of God conferred on his apostles the main Bible prayer - "Our Father" (inside the temple, the holy scriptures of this prayer are placed in more than 140 different languages);
- the chapel of the Ascension is a small octagonal structure located on the site of the former Ascension Temple, built by the once Equal-to-the-Apostles Elena (here the footprint of Jesus remained);
- The Greek monastery of the Ascension - this church is associated with an unusual story: in 1992, when the construction of a new temple by Archimandrite Joachim of Chios was almost finished, it turned out that some legal norms were not met, policemen arrived with a bulldozer and construction of an illegally erected building , when the workers got to the Lower Temple, the incredible happened - the round icon of Christ fell to the floor and began to rotate around its axis, at that time all the technology was surprisingly stalled, the church was left with Here, divine services are held here;
- church of all nations - the temple was built in 1924 by the money of Catholic communities from 12 countries (Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Spain, USA) has 12 domes, there is always twilight and strictly forbidden conversations inside (according to the legend, it was in this place that Jesus prayed last night before the crucifixion);
- Church of St. Mary Magdalene - erected in the late XIX century by the Russian emperor in memory of his mother Maria Alexandrovna (the temple has seven domes, the interior is striking with its wealth and grandeur: a white marble iconostasis, ornate bronze ornaments, expensive icons);
- Tomb of the Theotokos - here the mother of Jesus Christ was buried by the apostles, 48 steps are led to the tomb, a small church is built under the ground in the form of a cross, where there is a coffin with the Virgin Mary and a marble cuvacle.
Temples and monasteries are not the only sights of the Mount of Olives. It also houses the Jewish University of Jerusalem , which entered the top 100 universities in 2012, Hadassah Hospital nominated for the Nobel Prize in 2005, Brigham Young University , and, of course, the main decoration of the Mount of Olives - the Garden of Gethsemane . It is here that you can make one of the most picturesque photos in Jerusalem - on the western slope of the Mount of Olives, surrounded by ancient olives, which are more than 1000 years old, and against the backdrop of the golden-domed churches.
What to see at the foot of the Mount of Olives?
On the southern and western lower slopes of the Mount of Olives is a huge Jewish cemetery . The first graves appeared here in the era of the First Temple, these burial places are more than 2500 years old.
The cemetery on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem appeared not accidentally. According to the words of the prophet Zechariah, it is from this place that the resurrection of all the dead after the end of the world will begin. Every Jew considers it a great honor to be buried on a sacred mountain, but today it is rather difficult to obtain permission for burial. The number of graves has already exceeded 150 thousand. The right to be buried on the Mount of Olives is granted only to high-ranking officials and prominent residents of Israel .
At the most sacred Jewish cemetery, you can find the graves of Rabbi Shlomo Goren, who blew the horn in front of the Western Wall , the "father of modern Hebrew" Eliezer Ben-Yehud, the writer Shmuel Yosef Agnon, the famous public figure Abraham Yitzhak Cook, the prime minister Israel Menachem Begin, writer Elsa Lasker-Schuler, media magnate Robert Maxwell. Some graves are attributed to the Old Testament characters.
On the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, there is another famous cemetery - the Graves of the Prophets . It is a deep cave in which there are 36 funerary niches. According to the legend, the prophets Zechariah, Haggai, Mal'ahi and other biblical preachers gained peace. However, many researchers disprove this story and insist that the world's Christians are buried in the cave, and apart from its name, there is nothing associated with these prophets.
How to get there?
The Mount of Olives can be reached on foot. The closest way lies from the Lions' Gate of the Old City .
If you want to save your strength for a walk along the mountain itself, you can take the number 75 bus to the main observation deck on Eleon. He leaves the station near Damascus Gate .