Gethsemane
Jerusalem
Gethsemane, which comes from Hebrew "Gat Shemanim", meaning "oil press", was the garden where, according to the New Testament and Christian traditions, Jesus and his disciples retreated to pray after the Last Supper, the night before he was crucified.
There is a garden in modern day Jerusalem that is identified as the Gethsemane. It is located at the foot of the Mount of Olives, within the vicinity of the Church of All Nations, also known as the Church of the Agony. The ancient church was destroyed by the Sassanids in 614. The church rebuilt on the site by the Crusaders was finally razed, probably in 1219. Also on the Mount of Olives is the Russian Orthodox Church of St. Mary Magdalene with its distinct golden, onion-shaped domes. It was built by Russian Tsar Alexander III in memory of his mother.
The Garden of Gethsemane with the Church of All Nations behind it
Photo: Mr Bedrosian, GNU Free Documentation License
