We visited the church and it’s beautiful outside as well as inside. The priest was doing a ceremony, while a lot of people we’re praying. It was a bit crowded because it’s a popular tourist attraction and every tour bus stops here. It’s free of charge.
Church of All Nations & Gathsemane
It is said that before his arrest by the Romans, Jesus prayed at the foot of the Mount of Olives, on a section of the bedrock in the Garden on Gethsemane. Like other sites on Jesus’ path to the cross, throughout much of the ensuing period, this rock was enshrined by a succession of Christian places of worship. Among these were a 4th-century Byzantine basilica that was destroyed by an earthquake in the year 746 CE, and a 12th-century Crusader chapel that was abandoned in 1345.
Since 1924, the Church of All Nations (officially named the Basilica of the Agony) has rested on the foundations of these earlier churches. The church is thus named because the funds that went into its construction were donated by a variety of countries. Each of these nations is commemorated with a coat of arms in the glass of the church ceiling.
Inside, the focus of the church is the bedrock, which is surrounded by a crown. The Church of All Nation’s impressive facade features a row of Corinthian columns under a mosaic portraying Jesus as an intermediary between man and God. The facade joins the bubble-domed roof to give this church a distinctly Byzantine look.
Photos courtesy of Ministry of Tourism, by Noam Chen
TripAdvisor Reviews
Based on 942 traveler reviewsNew
“Beautiful Church Commemorating a Terrible, but Necessary, Event in the Life of Jesus”
The Church of the Agony was a very somber place to visit. They ask for silence as you walk through the church because it is a sober place commemorating where Jesus sweated drops of blood as he comprehended the terrible path ahead of him. Not only was he horribly tortured and placed...
MoreThe Church of the Agony was a very somber place to visit. They ask for silence as you walk through the church because it is a sober place commemorating where Jesus sweated drops of blood as he comprehended the terrible path ahead of him. Not only was he horribly tortured and placed on the cross in the crucifixion but he also had to experience the wrath of God that was intended for us. There is a rock in the center of the church they believe was where he sat as he experienced this agony and that is why they build the church around it. Somber place to visit but powerful.
Less“Impressive”
“Excelent”
Mount of Olives, this beautiful church was first built by the Byzantines in 379 and rebuilt between 1919 and 1924, the design was magnificent and I was able to light a candle and pray on the altar, ground old olive trees of 2000years though can't be verified but it was a good experience