This was a second visit to this site. The first was in the day, this was toward evening. That was the best time. Our guide was informative. We didn’t visit the gift shop. It looked nice but small. Good for most all ages. Some walking required.
The Garden Tomb
In the 19th century, scholars began to challenge the Christian tradition that put the site of Jesus’s burial and resurrection at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Old City’s Christian Quarter. Many Protestants also had their doubts – in large part because the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was the site sanctioned by the Roman Catholic establishment.
It was Major General Charles Gordon, a British officer and administrator, who picked up the gauntlet and began searching for an alternative site. In 1883, Gordon found a rocky escarpment near Damascus Gate. The fact that the escarpment resembled a skull suggested to Gordon that he had stumbled upon the true Golgotha, which may have been derived from the Hebrew and Aramaic for ‘skull.’ He also concluded that one of several tombs uncovered nearby in 1869 had to be the tomb of Jesus. John the Evangelist specifies that the tomb was located in a garden, and the site identified by Gordon contained an ancient cistern and a wine press; hence the name Garden Tomb (it’s also known as Gordon’s Calvary).
Despite the fact that archaeologists (not to mention the Catholic Church) have yet to embrace the Garden Tomb as the site of Jesus’ burial, the spot has become a popular Protestant place of pilgrimage. It is a quiet place, perfect for prayer and reflection.
Photos courtesy of the Ministry of Tourism, by Noam Chen
TripAdvisor Reviews
Based on 2106 traveler reviewsNew
“Evening visit”
New
“Garden Tomb was SPECIAL!”
Our tour guide Avishay Levy of Bein Harim Tours was very good. He went the extra mile to be sure our tour of Old Jerusalem included The Garden Tomb. Keiran the Garden Tomb speaker/Guide was as good as it gets!!!
“Amazing”
One of many very special places we visited as a group from Georgia. We had communion there in remembrance of the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was truly an amazing setting.