Last Week Walks

Every semester eventually comes to the point where the end is near,  the 3 1/2 months draws to a close, and we start dreading saying goodbye to the students who have become very dear to us.  During this solemn time of impending separation, the students retrace the last few days of the mortal life of Jesus Christ.  They visit the sacred Christian sites in the Old City and  reread and contemplate the implications of the Savior's last week. 

Here is the entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a visual representation of the compromise and tension which  characterize this tiny piece of real estate precious to so many Christian denominations.  

This is a place of lavish ornamentation, asynchronous reconstruction, and pluralistic communities funneled into a single shrine with one entrance.  It is a sacred cacophony of worshipers and tourists propelled by the contradictory goals of trying to experience a transcendence peace and capture it permanently in a digital image.

This building has the best archaeological claim as the site of the death and burial of our Savior, and yet its bewildering architecture and sectarian tension present a harsh atmosphere for the Mormon or Protestant pilgrim looking for a contemplative experience.

In the effort to make sense of this sacred space, the visitor has to work harder to plumb the meaning of the symbols and shrines here.  The spirit strains to bring all the sensory input together and filter what is essential.

Just like the effort to hear a soft spoken sacrament speaker, the extra layer of difficulty can either obscure the message or invite it to sink in to a receptive, yearning heart.

The key to the single entrance has been entrusted to the care of a Muslim family for centuries.  One gentleman brings the key, and another  gentleman from another Muslim family inserts the key and unlocks the door.

The chance to linger or take photos in the Edicule, the sepulchre itself, is a rare opportunity.  (This is my friend Danielle, whose sister is in our ward back in Orem.)  The limestone of the tomb is covered with ornamental marble carvings.  It has been recently renovated and looks beautiful.

We went to other churches in the city.  Here is the Jerusalem cross in a wrought iron window grate.

Here is the doorway to the church of St. John the Baptist.  The inner doorway behind my friend Heidi shows how you have to bow when entering.

The church is Greek Orthodox.  From above it is shaped like a Jerusalem cross or square cross with arms of equal length and a dome over the center.

The iconostasis contains vivid pictures of the Savior, his apostles, and various saints.  The iconostasis is a long paneled partition which restricts entrance to the holy place behind it, so Greek orthodox churches are typically wide, stretching across the center of the cross, rather than long like Catholic or protestant basilicas which are based on an elongated cross floor plan.  So entering in through the vestibule, you come face to face with the symbols of worship right away, rather than walking closer little by little as in a basilica church.  It is common to see visitors pausing before each sacred area, crossing themselves and praying or touching the icons then kissing their hands.    

Also it is common for a sweet caretaker to remind us to be quiet and not take pictures.  Here is a quaint dwelling for the caretakers of the church.  

At the Russian Orthodox church of Alexander Nevsky, the caretakers requested that we cover our heads and wear skirts over our pants.

This arch is in the basement of the church.  At one point, the church of the Holy Sepulchre reached all the way down the block to this area.  It was destroyed and rebuilt with smaller proportions.

This is a small opening in the side of another gate, perhaps to allow animals to wander in and out of the gate area.

This piece of rock was bought and brought from the church of the Holy Sepulchre so the Russian speaking worshipers could commemorate the death and burial of the Savior in this building.

This church has beautiful paintings of the events of the last week of the Savior's life.