See a professional video about the Via Dolorosa – Christ’s path to the cross. It shows a detailed account of all that happened, plus all the sites where they took place.
Location
1. The Via Dolorosa starts (Station 1) at the original place of the Antonia Fortress, which is currently a Muslim Elementary School.
2. Station 1 is located on Lion’s Gate St., several hundred yards (m.) inside the Old City west of the Lion’s Gate.
3. The Via Dolorosa ends at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Historical Background
1. Via Dolorosa means “The Painful Path.”
2. It’s the route Jesus walked as he went from His trial before Pilate at Antonia’s Fortress to His crucifixion at Golgotha.
3. The Via Dolorosa has 14 stations honoring the events that took place as Christ made His way to Golgotha to be crucified.
4. In the 4th century, Byzantine pilgrims followed a similar path to the one taken today but did not stop along the way.
5. During the 8th century the route changed, it began at the Garden of Gethsemane, headed south to Mount Zion, then returned around the Temple Mount to the Holy Sepulchre.
6. The present route was marked out by the Franciscans in 1342 after the Ottoman Sultan granted them authority over the Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.
7. Nine of the events are biblical, and five are taken from traditional beliefs handed down over the centuries.
Places of Interest
1. Lions’ Gate
2. Temple Mount
3. Antonia Fortress
4. Church of the Holy Sepulchre
5. Ecce Homo Arch
6. Original stone pavement section
7. Old City wall in the time of Christ