Garden of Gethsemane (Church of All Nations) (Jerusalem, Israel)

City:

Jerusalem

State, Province, Region, or District:

Jerusalem District

Country:

Israel

Overview

The Garden of Gethsemane is a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem where Jesus prayed in great agony and was arrested the night before His crucifixion. There are four locations each claiming to be the original Garden of Gethsemane and they are all at or near the western foot of the Mount of Olives:

The garden at the Catholic Church of All Nations (the traditional location).
The location near the Tomb of the Virgin Mary to the north.
The Greek Orthodox location to the east.
The Russian Orthodox orchard, next to the Church of Mary Magdalene.

Gethsemane in Hebrew means “oil press” and oil is still pressed from the fruit of eight ancient and gnarled olive trees that give the garden a timeless character. Beside the garden is the Church of All Nations, built over the rock ("Rock of the Agony") on which Jesus is believed to have prayed in agony before He was betrayed by Judas Iscariot and arrested (Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46; John 18:1).

Alternate Names

Gethsemane, Gat-Shamna, Gethsemani, Gat-Shmanim

Geography & Location

The Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations are located at the base of the Mount of Olives.

Biblical, Historical, & Archaeological Background Information

Gethsemane comes from the Hebrew words gat-גת (“press”) and shemanim שמנים- (“oils”).

Architecture

The Church of All Nations was built between 1919 and 1924 using funds donated from many different countries. The coat-of-arms of twelve of the countries from which donations originated are incorporated into the ceiling, each in a separate, small dome, and also into the interior mosaics. The countries honored in this way are, east to west (altar to entrance) and beginning with the northern apse: Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico; in the middle of the church are commemorated: Italy, France, Spain and the United Kingdom, and to the right: Belgium, Canada, Germany, and the United States of America. The mosaics in the apses were donated by Ireland, Hungary, and Poland (by the sculpturist Tadeusz Adam Zieliński). The crown around the bedrock itself was a gift of Australia. These multi-national donations give the church one of its present names as the "Church of All Nations".

Biblical & Historical References

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed in agony before He was betrayed by Judas Iscariot and arrested (Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46; John 18:1-3).

Spiritual Lessons and Application

The spiritual weight of paying for the sins of the world was far greater to bear than Christ’s physical sufferings. Have we really contemplated the price Christ paid for our salvation?