Today began somewhat earlier today hitting the road at 7:30 since we were leaving our hotel in Jericho and eventually heading into Jerusalem, our final stop of our trip.
Our first stop was at the
Museum of the Good Samaritan, operated by the Israeli National Parks, on Highway 1 about one half hour west of Jerusalem. Highway 1 runs between Tel-Aviv on the Mediterranean coast west to Jerusalem and then further west on to the Dead Sea. It lies on an ancient road between Jerusalem and Jericho at a location believed to be the same one described in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). The museum features mosaics from the Byzantine period between the 4th to 7th century CE. On the museum site itself, articles dating from the 1st century BCE as well as evidence of a fortress used between the 4th and 5th centuries CE. In the 6th century BCE a complex comprising a pilgrim's hostel and church was built. The main building used as the museum was a travellers inn dating back to the Ottoman period. The mosaics originate from a number of sites including ancient synagogues, and churches from Gaza and the West Bank.
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| Side view of the Ottoman building housing the museum. |
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| One of the many mosaics featured at the museum. |
Next on our visits today was Bethany to the Church of St. Lazarus - the site where Lazarus was buried. The church, built in the 1950s in the shape of a Greek cross, features four mosaics describing four events in Bethany. It also features archaeological excavations and has a grotto beneath the main church containing two chapels - one in which we celebrated Mass.
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| The main altar of the church, mosaic above the altar, and the dome above. |
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| Mass in the grotto beneath the Church of St. Lazarus |
After this we drove to Bethlehem, only a short distance away. We first stopped at a souvenir shop for an extended period resulting in heavier suitcases for the trip home. Here we were met by a guide from Bethlehem who took us to a parking garage for the tour buses, and then to St. George's Restaurant for lunch. It was only a short walk from there to Manager Square.
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| Manger Square Bethlehem |
The current Church of the Nativity dates back 1500 years to the emperor Justinian. It's currently under renovation that's resulted in being able to view mosaics that had been hidden by the. grime of centuries, as well as graffiti on the main pillars of the church dating back to the crusades. Going into the church, the low door was noted. Originally a few meters high, the entrance was reduced to prevent riders of horses and camels from entering the church.
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| The entrance to the Church of the Nativity. |
We were extremely fortunate in being able to get inside the grotto without a huge waiting period. There was lots to see in the church including mosaics on the wall of the church that had been uncovered during the renovations, as well as the graffiti and icons on the pillars.
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| Some of the restored mosaics in the Church of the Nativity |
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| Grafitti on one of the pillars. Note the shield with the lion courtesy of a crusader from 800 years ago. |
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| An icon painted on a pillar. |
Inside the anteroom, through a door on the right hand side of the church at the front, the pilgrims collected for the slow moving queue down the steps into the grotto. Here in the anteroom were hundreds of icons going back 300 years. One of the most interesting was the Smiling Madoonna and Child.
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| Inside the anteroom with Icon of the Smiling Madonna and Child on the left hand side of the photo. |
The piety of the pilgrims was evident in the reverence displayed to the holy icons. The organisation of moving the pilgrims from the room and down to the grotto to the site of the birth of Jesus and out again was haphazard at best. However, our group made it down eventually but many of us were hurried out of the grotto because of the worship schedule by the monks requiring that the pilgrims to be out of the grotto.
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| Elaborate carved border over the entrance to the grotto. |
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The pilgrims queued on the stairs descending to the grotto.
Fr. John Likozar, CC, associate pastor at Annunciation of Our Lord Parish in Ottawa
and spiritual guide for our pilgrimage is in the far left corner. |
While neither Grace nor I were able to linger to touch or photograph the star, we was able to view it as we walked past. However, courtesy of the internet and Wikipedia I include this image of this most sacred site:
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| Nativity Star in the Grotto Beneath the Church of the Nativity |
Following this, we briefly went into the Church of St. Catherine, the Roman Catholic Church immediately adjacent to the Church of the Nativity. Afterwards, we went back to our bus for a brief drive to the Chapel of the Shepherd's Field where the angels appeared to the shepherds in the field to announce the birth of the saviour of the world.
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| The Church of the Shepherd's Field |
Following this we went to the Prima Royale Hotel located in Jerusalem not too far from the old city.
Goodnight from Jerusalem.
