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Via Dolorosa
A Holy Site in
First
Station - The
Chapel of the Flagellation where tradition holds that Jesus was interrogated by
Pilate. The Christians begin their weekly procession through the Stations of the
Cross here, on Friday afternoons. This modest chapel was built on the site of a
Crusader oratory. Inside are glass panels representing the scourgig of Jesus
(center), Pilate cleansing his hands of the ( blood of the innocent), (left),
and the liberation of Barabas (right). On the dome above the altar is a large
crown of golden thorns perforated by stars
The Via Dolorosa is among the holiest sites in Christendom. It is the path taken by Jesus when, bearing his cross on his back, he made his way to the place of his crucifixion. The Via Dolorosa is a street no different from any other street in the northern part of the Old city, except for the nine stations which lie along it to commemorate the dramatic events of Jesus' last journey. It starts not far from Lion's Gate (St. Stephen's Gate) and winds its way westward and winds its way westward towards the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This is the route followed by Jesus from the place of his trial- the Praetorium - to the place of crucifixion on Golgotha. The exact route of the Via Dolorosa - as well as the location of the stations along it - is still disputed by scholars. The Way of the Cross was not finally fixed as it is today until the 15th century.
Of the 14 stations of the Via Dolorosa, nine are along the route and five inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The nine stations are: the Praetorium, the Chapel of the Condemnation, the place where he fell for the first time, the Church of our Lady of the Spasm, the place where Simon of Cyrene helped Jesus carry the cross, the house of Veronica who wiped his face with her veil, the place where Jesus fell the second time, the place where he talked to the women of Jerusalem, and the place where he fell for the third time.
Ecce Homo Arch - This is the second station along the Via Dolorosa.
In the 16th century, pilgrims began to refer to the arch as the Ecce Homo
Arch, referring to Pilate's declaration as he presented Jesus to the crowd
of spectators, (Behold the man!). In reality it is part of a triumphal arch
built by Hadrian in 13 5 A. D. to commemorate his conquest of Jerusalem. The
original arch had three parts: the largest, central arch which spans the Via
Dolorosa, the left arch which is no longer in existence, and the right arch that
can still be seen today inside the Church of the Sisters of Zion
Third Station A small chapel built by Polish Catholic cavalrymen marks
the spot where Jesus fell for the first time. The chapel belongs to the Armenian
Catholic Patriarchate
Fourth Station A basrelief sculpture by Zieliensky indicates the place
where Jesus met his mother.
Fifth Station As the inscription above the door of this Franciscan
chapel says, here Simon of Cyrene took the cross from Jesus and carried it on to
Golgotha. This is mentioned in three Gospels, but not in that of John.
Sixth Station The Armenian Orthodox church her; recalls Veronica
who wiped the brow of Jesus with her veil. The impression of His face remained
on the veil which has been kept in St. Peter's since 707.inside the church is
the tomb of St. Veronica.
Seventh Station Here the Via Dolorosa intersects the noisy bazaar, and a
column marked with the Roman numerals VII indicates where Jesus fell for the
second time
Eighth Station A small plaque with a cross on the wall marks the
place where Jesus met the pious women of Jerusalem and told them, (Don't weep
for me, daughter, of Jerusalem, but for yourselves and your children.),
Ninth Station A column near the Ethiopian monastery shows the place
where Jesus fell for the third time The last five stations of the Via Dolorosa
Holy Sepulchre
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