Via Dolorosa - Jerusalem, Israel
Posted by: 
denben
N 31° 46.694 E 035° 13.788
36R E 711145 N 3518018
The Via Dolorosa has been a major destination for pilgrims since the early days of Christianity. Over the centuries, millions of pilgrims have come here to walk the way that Jesus took to his death.
Waymark Code: WMGH42
Location: Israel
Date Posted: 03/06/2013
Views: 14
Every Friday afternoon hundreds of Christians join in a procession through the Old City of Jerusalem, stopping at 14 Stations of the Cross as they identify with the suffering of Jesus on his way to crucifixion.
Their route is called the Via Dolorosa (Way of Sorrows). This is also the name of the principal street they follow, a narrow marketplace abustle with traders and shoppers, most likely similar to the scene on the first Good Friday.
Whether Jesus followed this route on his way to Calvary is uncertain. Today’s Via Dolorosa originated in pious tradition rather than on certain fact, but it is hallowed by the footsteps of the faithful over centuries.
The Friday procession is led by Franciscan friars, custodians of the Holy Places since the 13th century. It starts at 3pm — the time Jesus died — at an Islamic school, Al’Omariyyeh College, just inside St Stephen’s or Lions’ Gate. Pilgrims wind their way westward to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where the last five Stations are located.
Many other pilgrims, individually or in groups with guides, follow the same 500-metre route during the week. Our Canadien group walked Via Dolorosa when we visited Jerusalem during a three week trip in Israel. Our pictures show the third station where Jesus falls for the first time - the fifth station where Simon the Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross - the twelfth station where Jesus dies on the cross and the fourteenth and last station which is the Tomb of Jesus.
The coordinates are from the entrance of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on the Hill of Golgotha, where the last five stations are located.
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