| What is it? |
The Garden of Gethsemane is a grove of ancient olive trees where it’s believed Jesus of Nazareth came to pray! |
| What makes it historical? |
The name Gethsemane comes from the Aramaic gath shemanim, which means “oil press!” Pilgrims flock to this garden, where they believe Jesus prayed before being arrested and crucified by the Romans!
The earliest surviving non-Biblical account of the garden comes from a French pilgrim, who wrote a travel guide to the Holy Land called Itinerarium Burdigalense around 333 AD! There wasn’t a reference to olive trees in this account, because the Emperor Vespasian ordered all gardens to be flattened when he besieged Jerusalem in the first century AD! Carbon dating of some of the olive branches tells us that they were all planted in the 12th century AD, most likely by Crusaders! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? |
HERE’S HOW:
- Donate to the Custodia Terrae Sanctae!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
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| Where is this place? |
Southeast of the intersection of Derekh Yerikho and El-Mansuriya Street
Jerusalem
Israel
From Eilat: ~193mi (311km) — 3.3hrs
From Haifa: ~96mi (155km) — 1.6hrs
From Jerusalem: ~3mi (5km) — 0.1hrs
From Tel Aviv: ~42mi (68km) — 0.7hrs |
| When should I go? |
The garden is open daily from 8:30 AM until 12:00 PM, then again from 2:30 PM until 5:00 PM! On Sundays and Thursdays, the grotto closes at 4:00 PM. Unfortunately, for visitor, but fortunately for the health of the trees, the garden is fully enclosed in fencing, so prepare to observe it from the designated pathways! |
