The Garden of Olives – Gethsemane

A visit to a pastoral garden with historical importance

Gethsemane is where according to the Christian tradition and as described in the New Testament, Jesus prayed his last prayer the night before his crucifixion and was tormented before being handed over to the Romans by Judas Iscariot. The garden is located on Mount Olives’ slopes and overlooks the Kidron Stream and the Temple Mount. This site is sacred to Christianity, where hundreds of thousands of Christian pilgrims from around the world come every year to trace the footsteps of Jesus and visit the significant stations in his life. The visit to the Garden of Gethsemane evokes pastoral green sights, with a visit to the Church of All Nations.

The name Gethsemane originates from the belief that in the Second Temple period, there was a winery for the production of wine and mainly an olive oil press for production. Even today, the garden and its surroundings are full of olive trees. In Gethsemane lies the Church of All Nations, designed by the Italian architect Antonio Berlozzi, who built many churches in Jerusalem and Israel in the first half of the 20th century. Nearby is the tomb of Miriam, which one of the Christian traditions identifies as the burial cave of Miriam, the mother of Jesus. The Cave of Betrayal, also known as the Cave of the Apostles, or the Cave of Grief, is owned by the Franciscan Order and is right next to the entrance. Following the development of tourism in the area, an archeological excavation began in which remains of a purification mikveh from the Second Temple era and several churches from the Byzantine and Crusader periods were found.