Basilica of Agony
A Catholic Franciscan church, built in 1924, and one of the most magnificent churches with a large mosaic picture on the front. This place, Gethsemane, was the site where Jesus and his disciples hid from the Romans, had his last prayer, but was betrayed and arrested.
Mark 14: 32: "And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray".
Home > Sites > Jerusalem > Basilica of Agony (Gethsemane, Gat-Shamna, Gethsemani, Gat-Shmanim, Church of all nations)
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Overview:
A Catholic Franciscan church, built in 1924 by donations from many nations (hence one of its names). It is one of the most magnificent churches, located on the east bank of valley Kidron at the foothill of Mount of Olives. The front of the church, facing the temple mount, is covered by a large mosaic picture. According to the new testament, this place was the site where Jesus and his disciples hid from the Romans, had his last prayer, but was betrayed and arrested.
Location:
The church is built on the lower western foothills of Mount of Olives, facing the old city of Jerusalem, on the eastern side of Kidron valley. Its name (Gat Shemanim - means in Hebrew: oil press) came from the olive press that was used to process the olives.
The church is located on the junction of 3 roads - to the old city via Lions gate, the road up Mount Olives, and the road to Jericho.
History of the place:
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Old Testament
There are no references to Gat-Shemanim (Gethsemane) in the old testament, but the olive presses were probably in this site from previous periods, in order to process the olives of Mount of Olives.
The Mount of Olives is first referred in the Bible when King David flees the city. King Solomon erected altars on the hill dedicated to false alien gods. They were later destroyed by King Josiah who "filled it with bones" to prevent future worships. Prophet Zechariah talks about the day of Judgment, with Mount of Olives its epicenter of God's fiery fight against the enemies of Jerusalem.
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New Testament
Gethsemane is the Greek form of Gat Shemanim, and it is where Jesus and hid from the Romans, was betrayed and arrested. According to the texts, Jesus and his disciples came to the site, and Jesus prayed. Later they hid in the garden "beyond the Kidron brook". Judah knew this hiding place from previous times, and gave its position to the Romans. Jesus was apprehended at night (as per John), and led to Jail within the city.
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Byzantine through Crusaders period
In the 4th C a church was constructed at this place, but was destroyed by the Persians in 614AD. It was rebuilt by the Crusaders in the 12th C, but was destroyed by the Arabs in 1187.
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Modern times
In 1924 the Franciscans order built the Catholic church over the ruins of the Crusaders church. It was designed by the Italian famous church architect, Antonio Barluzzi, who also designed the baslica of Beatitudes. The modern church was based on the Crusaders church, and some of its remains were embedded into the modern basilica. The church was constructed with Worldwide donations , the source of one of its names - the church of all nations.
Inside the Church:
On the floor of the prayer hall lays a flat rock - the rock of Agony. According to tradition, this is where the last prayer was conducted. In the ceiling are 12 capes, each dedicated to one of the nations that contributed to its construction. In the garden of the church are ancient olive trees, maybe descendents from the original olive trees from the times of Jesus.
Photos:
A view of the front of the church from the old city to Jericho, above the Kidron valley.
Click on the photo to view it in higher resolution...
Mount of olives above the area of the church, on the side of the road that leads up the hill. Maybe this is the garden where Jesus hid from the Romans, but was later captured and led off to the city (in the background). There are other gardens that are visited by the pilgrims in the lower section of the hill, and the tourist guides lead the groups through these gardens.
The front mosaic:
The colorful front mosaic depicts the story of Gethsemane, showing Jesus in the center weeping over the future fate of Jerusalem - the destruction of the city by the Romans (which actually happened 40 years later) .
Details of the mosaic are described below.
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Above Jesus are two Greek letters - Alpha and Omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. As per Revelation 1: 8: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending ". |
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One the left side, one of the followers holds a tablet with the Latin word Ignoratio, which means "Ignorance". This is due to the fact that the citizens of Jerusalem were ignorant of their cruel future fate, a gloomy future that Jesus viewed and cried (as per Luke 19). |
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Under the mosaic -
new Testament texts in Latin, such as: "...Cum clamore
valido et lacrymis..." from Hebrews 5: 7 "Who in the days of his
flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with
strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from
death, and was heard in that he feared";
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On the tops of the pillars are the 4 canonical Gospels: Matthew, Luke, Mark, and John. |
Biblical:
(a) Mt 26: 36; Mk 14:32
"Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder".
"And they came
to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his
disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray".
(b) Luke 19: 37-44
Jesus visualizes the ruin of Jerusalem, and wept on its fate and the ignorance ("Ignoratio" in Latin) of its citizens of the events to come.
"And when he was
come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole
multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a
loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; Saying,
Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in
heaven, and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees from
among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. And
he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should
hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. And when he
was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou
hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which
belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the
days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench
about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within
thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another;
because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation".
(c) John 18: 1-3
This text tells the story of the betrayal of Jesus and his capture at night by the troops in the Garden beyond the Kidron (Cedron).
"When Jesus had
spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook
Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his
disciples. And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place: for
Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with his disciples. Judas then,
having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests
and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and
weapons".
(d) Revelation 1: 8, 1:11, 21:6, 22:13
These texts use the phrase Alpha and Omega as "starting and ending", which explains the letters Alpha and Omega on the mosaics of the church.
"I am Alpha and
Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and
which was, and which is to come, the Almighty".
"Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What
thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches
which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos,
and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto
Laodicea".
"And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the
fountain of the water of life freely".
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the
last".
Etymology (behind the name):
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