Getshemane church It is one of the most spectacular churches in Jerusalem. It deals with the events of the last night of Jesus' life. Following the Last Supper with his disciples, Jesus came here with his three disciples. He asked them to pray with him because he knew his end was near, but they gave him up and fell asleep again and again. Indeed, that night his disciple Judas betrayed him to the Romans by kissing him on the cheek.

What is Getshemane?

This church has three names, Gethsemane, All Nations and Greif Church. The name Gethsemane means "oil press" because of the fact that there were many olive trees here. As you can see, the churchyard has some really old olive trees. This is an ideal place for praying.

The name of the All Nation Church was given since it was built after the First World War and 12 different countries gave money for its construction. The church is also called the Church of Grief because here the prayer of Jesus with grief to God commemorated on Thursday night after the Last Supper.

Already at the entrance of the church we go through old olive trees. And before us stands the impressive church with colorful mosaics and evangelical statues. The pillars which support the structure have Corinthian titles. In the mosaic you can see the figure of Jesus in the middle and next to him poor and rich. Jesus symbolizes the connection between God and mankind. The front gives a very different sense of the experience within. Inside you see distress and darkness, with midnight bright colors and gold that transmit power and trust. Prayer in the wine press can be interpreted as a conflict between its divine and human aspects. The human aspect is grieving and striving not to suffer. Its divine aspect understands that humanity must be redeemed from original sin. The divine side won the same conflict and Jesus says to the Father, "Let it be as you wish."

The place belongs to the Franciscan order. The church was designed by Antonio Barluzzi and consecrated in 1924. The mosaics in the church tell the story of Judah's and his betrayal of Judah. The ceiling is painted as a sky with stars to give us a sense that we are with Jesus praying to heaven. You can the great rock, according to tradition it is the real rock that Jesus prayed on last night. On the ground of the church you can see fragments of mosaic from the Byzantine period that have been integrated into the church.

The church has alabaster windows. The purple color creates darkness and the purple symbolizes anguish and sadness in Christian art. During the sad Christian festivities, the altar is decorated in purple.

Basic Information

Church name Gethsemane Church and All Nations church

Address : Derech Yericho Street

Christianity order Franciscan

Year of build 1924

Arrival options

Accessibility

You can access the church in a wheelchair.

Opening hours 08:30 to 12:00 and 14:30 to 17:00. On Sundays, Fridays and Saturday the church is closed at 16:00.

There is no charge for admission.

You cannot come in with a hat, talk or eat during your visit inside the church.

Telephone number 972-(0)2-6266444.

Toilets with payment are available in front of the road.

Nearby site activities

If you are here, you should visit other churches of the Olive Mountain, like Dominus Flevit.

Pilgrim who visit Jerusalem continue to the Old city Lion Gates and from there start to walk the 14 station of the Via Dolorosa ending at the most important church The Holy Sepulcher.

My experience

This place is magical. The olive groves outside, the purple color, the ancient remnants of the beautiful mosaic and the painting on the wall.Beyond it all, It has a magnificent importance to the Christian history. You should not miss this place while visiting Jerusalem.