Rachel and I left through the eastern edge of the Western Wall into the Muslim Quarter. I had hoped we could see the Al Aqsa Mosque but the tourist entrance was closed during passover. The ramp for the tourists runs next to the Wall, often during holy days the people can get into a fervor and attempt to rush the Mosque and reclaim the square.
Leaving the Wall is a narrow covered alley. There were children playing soccer. Others were playing tag and used me as a barrier running around and around (I hope they weren’t thieves!). Along the alley are many entrances to the Al Aqsa Mosque but these are only for Muslims. Rachel and I were NOT allowed.
The way to the church is by the Via Dolorosa.
These are the traditional stations of the cross that Jesus walked on his way to calvary. Rachel and I found a central plaza, but we were not sure how to get to the Church. We walked down David Street, up Christian Quarter Street, up up up a long hill on Casa Nova street. We found our selves outside the Old City Walls. The map was confusing and our feet were tired. Then again we looked and saw that we were in the same courtyard. The church was through an extremely small gate. That I had missed. We were both tired. I admitted that Rachel had been right and that *was* the way to go all along.
The church:
The church is very very dark and covered in the soot from thousands of devotional candles and incense. Just inside the entrance is a long pink marble stone on the floor. This is the traditional stone where Jesus’s body was prepared for burial. There were many Russian orthodox women on tour today and they were kissing and laying hands on the stone. The stone is cracked in two (intentionally I later found out so that no one would bother stealing it when Jerusalem would be concurred and looted). The women would wipe the holy water from the stone and dab their faces. Many had purchased devotional knick-knacks from the many vendors along the route. Some were content to place the plastic bags on the stone, others needed to empty their bags of small wooden crosses and splay them over the stone. I wondered if the blessing could transmit through the black plastic bag, and even if it could would not the bag then become holy?
I removed my St Christopher Medal and moved it into a crack to soak up the Jesus energy. Now, it feels cooler to the skin when I wear it.
The Church is huge and very confusing. Rachel and I walked around and found the Holy Crypt. Is is a small church within the church. There were long lines to get into the crypt. When someone gets into the crypt then can spend a very long time praying so the line was skipped. On one side was an eastern orthodox entrance to the back of the crypt. There was a large group of Russian tourists with yellow “Subway” hats wrapped with colorful scarfs. It is considered impolite for a woman to enter without her head covered.
Down down down many steps is the St Helen Chapel. This is the area where the “supposed” true cross was found. I like this because is it rock hewn. You can see the evidence that this was a quarry. On the pillars in the St Helen chapel are red crosses carved into the walls by pilgrims and crusaders nearly a thousand years ago.
We left the church and made our way back to the Western Wall.