How to visit and what to see in Gethsemane Garden (Jerusalem): Tomb of the Virgin

For believers, the great attraction of travel to the Holy Land en Israel is the possibility of seeing many of the places where various events collected in Bible.

And if there is a place in Jerusalem where else biblical facts have happened, that is the Mount of olives, and at his feet, the Garden of Gethsemane, located outside the walls, east of the Holy city, and separating it from Judean Desert.

At the outset I will tell you that in a tourism trip the best way to reach Jerusalem es climb the Mount of Olives at sunset, from where you have the best panoramic views of Old City walled

We did this on our recent trip and were really impressed when we arrived just as the bell rang. call to prayer in all Jerusalem mosques.

What to see when visiting Gethsemane

And also the best way to make the visit from the point of view of Christians, in order to reach the church of the holy sepulcher within the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, is to start it in the aforementioned Garden of Gethsemeni.

I remind you that in said place outside the walls is where Bible notes that Jesus He was captured by the Romans after the betrayal of Judas.

Therefore, in your Gethsemane visit you will find several biblical places with a great religious meaning that is worth knowing.

Then from there you can start your journey on foot to climb the walled Jerusalem, and crossing under the Lion Gate of Suleiman the Magnificent, and walking the Via Dolorosa to the Holy Sepulcher.

At Garden of Gethsemane Now you are going to find a place with a great basilica and some caves, all surrounded by eight imposing almost ancient olive trees, with its characteristic thick trunks.

Gethsemane Basilica in Jerusalem

La Gethsemane Basilica  It is a Christian church run by the Franciscans, with a three-nave floor plan covered by a ceiling with twelve vaults.

In the central nave, in front of the altar, you will see a big stone where he prayed Jesus after finishing the Last Supper and before being captured by the Romans, it is said.

The building that you are now going to see is really recent as it was completed in 1924.

Previously, there was initially a byzantine church which was built in the 7th century, and then a chapel that the crusaders built in the 12th century.

Precisely, a recent scientific study concludes that the aforementioned olive trees must have been planted at the time when the crusaders built the chapel.

On the façade of the current basilica you will see a neo-byzantine style mosaic, and other similar ones are also arranged on the ceiling of the interior vaults.

As a curiosity, I will tell you that this place is also known as Basilica of the Nations because it was built with the economic contribution of twelve countries.

That is why now each interior dome is dedicated to each of these countries.

Gethsemane Grotto

In front of Garden of Olives another sacred place is found, where it is considered that the Tomb of the Virgin.

Before entering the premises, on the right, is the entrance to the call Gethsemane Grotto, a small cave with a chapel where it is estimated that Jesus met with the apostles.

Into this cave he entered Judas accompanied by the Romans to capture Jesus, because it is also known as the Grotto of Betrayal.

How to see the Sepulcher of the Virgin in Jerusalem

La grotto where it is considered that the Virgin is buried It presents a church front from the 12th century.

As soon as you pass the door of what is apparently a church, you find a long, wide staircase that leads to the bottom of a large grotto, and where in a corner you find a large stone.

It is considered as Sepulcher of the Virgin, which is run by Orthodox Christians, and you won't be surprised to see that it is mostly visited by Russian or Greek tourists, as was the case when we visited.

Photos of biblical places in Gethsemane

Here you have more photos of the important biblical places what can you visit in the Garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem.