Christmas to Resurrection

Do you have time to explore the Holy Land more fully, but do you want to visit the main shrines as part of an individual tour? Then this journey is for you!

If I were asked what are the main Christian shrines in Jerusalem and its surroundings, I would begin with the Place of the Nativity of Christ, Bethlehem, where Christ was given earthly life. Why did Mary, already in advanced pregnancy, go under the care of Joseph the Betrothal from Nazareth to Bethlehem? We will examine not only the historical context of this cause, but also the divine. Why did the Old Testament prophets predict the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem?

After Bethlehem we will go to Jerusalem, to the Temple of the Holy Sepulchre. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the place where Christ was crucified, that is, Calvary is there. This is the place where Christ was buried – the Tomb of the Lord is also there. However, the most important event that happened in this place 2,000 years ago was not Death, but the victory of Life over death. The official name of the temple is the Temple of Sunday, in Greek Anastasis.

From the moment of Christ’s birth to the moment of Sunday, providence or the finger of God is traced. Why was Jesus born in a cave and buried in a cave? Why do evangelicals, who talk only about the most important things, mention such details as that He was swaddled at birth and swaddled before burial? Why was it so important to begin the narrative with Earthly life and extend the vector of Life to infinity, giving Eternal Life and the Kingdom of God? Why do the events of two thousand years ago still touch our hearts?

What we'll visit.

Bethlehem is the Temple of the Nativity and the cave where the Savior was born. Since Bethlehem is in the Palestinian Authority, I am cooperating with my colleagues (certified guides) on the Palestinian side. The Palestinian side provides us with transportation to and from their territory, a meeting at the pilgrimage center, where you can, if you wish, buy Christian paraphernalia for consecration. There are two places in the Promised Land where everyone sanctifies: on the Star of Bethlehem in the Temple of Nativity and on the Anointing Stone in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. During our tour we will visit these two places. The Palestinian side legally allows us to pass without queue to the Cave (Vertep), if we are talking about a group of up to five people. This is very convenient as the queue can take several hours.

In Jerusalem:

• We start the route from Jaffa Gate, where I will do a little introduction to the history of the Old and New Towns.
• The Tower of David (called the Tower of Herod). I will tell you about Herod the Great, who sought the death of the Child.
• The observation deck on the roofs is a view of the Mount of Olives, the place of the Ascension of the Lord to Heaven.
• The Church of the Holy Sepulchre: Golgotha, the Stone of the Anointing, the Sepulchre (Tomb of the Lord), the Chapel of the Temple, the Place of the Discovery of the Honest Cross.
• Passage to the Western Wall through Roman Cardo Street and the Jewish Quarter. I will tell you about the Temple Mount and the Jewish Temple, the future destruction of which Christ mourned.
• For those who do not want to visit the Western Wall, I offer other options:

We can visit the Russian Church of Alexander Nevsky, where the remains of the first Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Needle Eye and the Doomsday Gate are preserved.

Or we can proceed to the gate of Zion and visit the tomb of King David and the chamber of the Last Supper.

We should bring your passports. The form of clothing is modest, that is, shoulders and knees should be closed, it is desirable for ladies to have a headscarf with them.