A website (www.seetheholyland.net) devoted to promoting pilgrimages to the Holy Land since 2010.
Seetheholyland.net is the retirement project of a journalist who has spent 50 years in secular and religious journalism, not in the Holy Land but on the opposite side of the world in New Zealand.
Kursi, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, lay unknown for many centuries until pieces of Byzantine pottery were noticed in the trail of a bulldozer constructing a new road to the Golan Heights in 1970. Then the remains of the largest Byzantine monastery complex in Israel were discovered . . . .
A headlong stampede by a herd of demon-possessed pigs into the Sea of Galilee is remembered at Kursi, a picturesque site beneath the Golan Heights on the eastern side of the lake.
Mar Saba is one of the oldest inhabited monasteries in the world. It provides an enduring reminder of the age-old tradition of holy people leaving behind worldly distractions and seeking God in the solitude of the desert. But women visitors are excluded . . . .
The greatest of the ancient monasteries dotting the wilderness of the Judaean Desert, Mar Saba hangs dramatically down the cliff edge of a deep ravine.
Monks and hermits have inhabited the Mount Temptation since the early centuries of Christianity. They turned caves into cells, chapels and storage rooms. A sophisticated system of conduits brought rainwater from a large catchment area into five caves used as reservoirs . . . .
The Mount of Temptation, with a gravity-defying monastery clinging to its sheer face, is traditionally regarded as the mountain on which Christ was tempted by the devil during his 40-day fast.
Because it lies low in the Great Rift Valley, surrounded by hills, the Sea of Galilee is prone to sudden turbulence. Storms of the kind that Jesus calmed (Mark 4:35-41) are a well-known hazard for Galilee fishermen . . . .
Among Holy Land sites, the Sea of Galilee has changed comparatively little since Jesus walked on its shores and recruited four fishermen as his first disciples.
Herod Antipas made the city of Sepphoris “the ornament of Galilee”. And the maker of an exquisite mosaic floor in a palatial mansion there created an elegant portrait that has earned the nickname “Mona Lisa of the Galilee” . . . .
Sepphoris, a ruined city 6.5 kilometres northwest of Nazareth, was the capital of Galilee during the time of Jesus. Though it is not mentioned in the New Testament, it is of interest to Christian pilgrims for two main reasons:
An early Christian tradition says John the Baptist’s disciples buried his body in the Palestinian village of Sebastiya after he was beheaded by Herod Antipas during the infamous banquet at which Salome’s dance enthralled the governor (Mark 6:21-29) . . . .
In the Palestinian village of Sebastiya, Christians and Muslims alike honour a connection to John the Baptist at a location earlier known for the worship of Phoenician gods and a Roman emperor.
Bible translator St Jerome spent more than 36 years in the Holy Land, much of it in his underground study. He was well-known for his ascetic lifestyle and his passionate involvement in doctrinal controversies . . .
In this underground study — pleasantly cool in summer but chilly in winter — St Jerome spent 30 years translating the Scriptures from Hebrew and Greek into Latin.
The traditional place of the Christmas angel’s visit to shepherds is the town of Beit Sahur, now an eastern suburb of Bethlehem. The tradition connected with the Shepherds’ Field is complicated by the fact that archaeologists have identified more than one possible site . . . .
Caves where shepherds “kept watch over their flock” still abound in the area east of Bethlehem. Here, the Gospel of Luke tells us, an angel announced the birth of Jesus.
Stella Maris Monastery at Haifa is the world headquarters of a Catholic religious order of friars and nuns, the Carmelites. It also contains a grotto where the Old Testament prophet Elijah is believed to have occasionally lived . . . .
Perched at the western edge of Mount Carmel, high above the Mediteranean and the coastal city of Haifa, is Stella Maris Monastery and church.
When Jewish authorities planned to kill Jesus after he raised Lazarus to life, he went “to a town called Ephraim in the region near the wilderness”. The town is now called Taybeh, and it is the only Christian village left in Israel or Palestine . . . .
The Palestinian village of Taybeh, the only Christian town left in Israel or Palestine, holds fast to its memory of Jesus seeking refuge there shortly before his crucifixion.
https://www.seetheholyland.net/tabgha/ The beach at Tabgha was a favourite spot for fishermen from nearby Capernaum, and its beach was familiar to Jesus and his disciples. It is easy to imagine Jesus speaking from a boat in one of the little bays, with crowds sitting around on the shore . . . .
Tranquil Tabgha, on the north-western shore of the Sea of Galilee, is best known for Christ’s miraculous multiplication of loaves and fish to feed a multitude.
The patriarch Abraham bought a property at Hebron to use as a burial place for his wife Sarah, paying the full market price of 400 shekels of silver. Today it is the site of the Tombs of the Patriarchs, with Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Leah, and Abraham himself interred there . . . .
The Tombs of the Patriarchs in the West Bank city of Hebron is the burial place of three biblical couples — Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah.
The site of the Tomb of Rachel on the edge of Bethlehem has been venerated for centuries by Jews, Muslims (who claim it as an Islamic site) and Christians. Over the years, it has been a place of pilgrimage for Jews, especially women unable to give birth . . . .
The death of Rachel, beloved wife of the patriarch Jacob, is remembered on the Jerusalem-Hebron road north of Bethlehem. The tomb, a small building with a white dome, is now hidden behind a long bunker-like structure with guard towers and barbed wire. The access road is hemmed in by high concrete wa...
Jerusalem is a city with an intriguing blend of sights, sounds and smells, especially in the Arab markets of the Old City. The past and present continually rub shoulders. Church bells peal, muezzins call Muslims to prayer, and friars, rabbis and imams hasten by. Reminders of its heritage of three faiths are never far away . . . .
For Jews it is the city King David made the capital of his kingdom, and where the Temple stood, containing the Ark of the Covenant. For Christians, it is where Christ died, was buried and rose again, and the birthplace of the Church. The Jewish and Christian Bibles mention Jerusalem several hundred....
Within sight of the Mount of Beatitudes are many of the events of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, including the town of Capernaum 3 kilometres away, where he made his home. Just below is Sower’s Cove, where it is believed Jesus taught the Parable of the Sower from a boat moored in the bay . . . .
The Mount of Beatitudes, believed to be the setting for Jesus’ most famous discourse, the Sermon on the Mount, is one of the most beautifully serene places in the Holy Land.
The region of Caesarea Philippi, 40km north of the Sea of Galilee, was the furthest north Jesus took his disciples. In this area, where the pagan cult of Pan flourished, Jesus proclaimed that the gates of Hades would not prevail against his Church . . . .
Near Caesarea Philippi, a city of Greek-Roman culture known for its worship of foreign gods, Jesus announced he would establish a church and gave authority over it to the apostle Simon — whom he renamed Peter.
The town of Magdala is best known as the home of Mary Magdalene, whose identity has been confused with two other New Testament women — the penitent pr******te who anointed Jesus’ feet with ointment and Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, who anointed Jesus’ feet with perfume . . . .
Magdala was a major first-century port on the Sea of Galilee, a centre of trade and commerce, and an exporter of salted fish to markets as far away as Europe. Archaeological discoveries early in the 21st century have made it a burgeoning pilgrimage destination.
More than 30 specific places in the Holy Land commemorate significant events in the life of Jesus,, from his conception to his Ascension. Here is a list . . . .
Remains of Christian sites at Bethany Beyond the Jordan, with steps leading to Church of John the Baptist, under far shelter (Seetheholyland.net)
The Gospel accounts of Jesus’ Transfiguration do not specify the place, simply saying it was a “high mountain” in Galilee. But Christian tradition in the early centuries identified the mountain as Mt Tabor, 7km east of Nazareth . . . .
Mount Tabor, rising dome-like from the Plain of Jezreel, is the mountain where Christian tradition places the Transfiguration of Jesus.
The Western Wall in Jerusalem and the plaza in front of it form a permanent place of worship, a site of pilgrimage for Jews and a focus of prayer. It is also the place where Jews down the ages have expressed their grief over the destruction of the Temple, their anguish giving the wall another name — the Wailing Wall . . . .
Judaism’s holiest place is the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem. Part of the retaining wall erected by Herod the Great in 20 BC to support the vast plaza on which he rebuilt the Temple, it is venerated as the sole remnant of the Temple.
The onion-shaped domes and the general style of the Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Mount of Olives reflect the architecture of Moscow during the 16th and 17th centuries. In its convent live Russian Orthodox nuns from several countries, who paint icons, embroider vestments and items for liturgical use, and decorate Russian eggs . . . .
Seven gilded onion domes, each topped by a tall Russian Orthodox cross, make the Church of St Mary Magdalene one of Jerusalem’s most picturesque sights.
The Garden Tomb, off Nablus Road in Jerusalem, is favoured by some as the site of the Resurrection. But all the tombs in the area date from 7 to 9 centuries BC — the time of Jeremiah or Isaiah, rather than Jesus. Despite its lack of authenticity, the Garden Tomb has an aura of calmness that encourages meditation . . . .
In a setting of neatly maintained gardens and trees, the Garden Tomb provides a tranquil environment for prayer and reflection. But any claim that this is where Christ was buried and rose from the dead lacks authenticity.
One of a collection of peaks in a red-granite mountain range, with spectacularly sheer slopes and deep valleys, Mount Sinai may have been called Sinai (“mountain of God”) even before the time of Moses, and it has attracted pilgrims since the 4th century AD. In Arabic it is called Jebel Musa (“mountain of Moses”) . . . .
Mount Sinai, a 2280-metre peak in the south of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, is venerated as the mountain on which Moses spoke with God and received the Ten Commandments.
The unobtrusive Melkite Church of the Annunciation, built in 1848, is arguably the most representative Byzantine church in Jerusalem. From the dome down to pew-height, its interior is richly adorned with frescoes in vibrant colours . . . .
For Western Christians unfamiliar with the rich church decoration and elaborate worship of the Eastern Church, a visit to the Melkite Church of the Annunciation in the Old City of Jerusalem offers a useful introduction.
Bethlehem’s Church of St Catherine of Alexandria is dedicated to a 4th-century martyr from Egypt. Tradition says at the age of 18 Catherine challenged the emperor for persecuting Christians and worshipping false gods. the emperor ordered her to be tortured on a wheel — hence the term “Catherine wheel” . . . .
The midnight Mass beamed from Bethlehem to television viewers worldwide on Christmas Eve is celebrated in the Church of St Catherine of Alexandria.
Since Jericho was on the normal route from Galilee to Jerusalem, Jesus passed through it several times. Near the centre of the city, a centuries-old sycamore tree recalls the incident in which the tax collector Zacchaeus, too short to see over the crowd, climbed a sycamore’s branches in order to see Jesus . . . .
It’s reputed to be the oldest town on earth, with stories to match. The Israelites supposedly brought down its walls with a great shout and trumpet blasts. Here Jesus healed Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, and dined with Zacchaeus, the rich tax collector. And both Cleopatra and Herod the Great covet...
An ultra-modern Catholic church, perched on eight sturdy pillars, hovers protectively over an excavation site in Capernaum, which became Jesus’ home town. The ruined building is believed to have been the Peter’s house, where Jesus would have lodged . . . .
A fish-market and frontier post beside the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum became Jesus’ home town and the scene of many of his miracles.
Built around a rock where early Christian tradition says the Virgin Mary rested on her way with Joseph to Bethlehem, the 5th-century church at Kathisma became one of the few in the Holy Land that were shared by Christians and Muslims . . . .
Midway between Jerusalem and Bethlehem lie the largely ignored remains of one of the Holy Land’s biggest churches — and probably the first of them dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
The Church of St Alexander Nevsky in the Old City of Jerusalem is dedicated to a Russian Orthodox saint who was an exceptional leader of medieval Russia, accorded legendary status for his military victories over German and Swedish invaders . . . .
Remnants of the emperor Constantine’s original 4th-century Holy Sepulchre church can be seen inside a Russian Orthodox church that is a next-door neighbour of the present Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
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