Patrice taught me* just about everything I know about Christianity, specifically Catholicism.** She did a great job, she just got to me about twenty years too late. Everything else I know came from that one western religions class at BU or from songs I've sung in choir.*** I'm going to include a lot of trip stops today that will probably mean more to you if you're up on your Bible. Any misinformation is 100% a reflection on my failure as a religious scholar and googler.****
AT and I had a guided tour of the old city of Jerusalem today OR we went on an accidental pilgrimage. For my part, I can say the city is beautiful and the history is fascinating. To see the three western religions all converge in the same small area and co-exist is truly special. AT pointed out that at one point we heard the Muslim call to prayer with church bells ringing on the Jewish sabbath.
We entered from Lions' Gate***** and went to the Cathedral of St. Anne's built where the waters of Bethesda were. There is a Crusaders-era church and garden next to the old Roman ruins.
Next we walked to the Church of the Flagellation--what you think happened at this sight is exactly right--thanks, Pontius Pilate. The church was designed by the architect Barluzzi and you'll be seeing him again later. The highlight is definitely the mosaic ceilings.
This was the first stop on the Via Dolorosa, or Way of Sorrows. It is so named because it is the path Jesus took on his way to be crucified. It has fourteen places that are the Stations of the Cross. I'm going to gloss over most of the stops****** but I did get this nice arch known as the Ecce Homo arch!*******
The pictured-below stations are where Jesus saw Mary for the last time, his stop with Veronica********, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where the last several stations are housed. I'm not exactly sure which station featured a wacko lady hot from climbing steps but it's probably from the same biblical chapter where you see Matt Damon with Moses.*********
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was fascinating in and of itself because it currently has six different Christian churches operating out of it. They haven't been able to decide who should be in charge so the keys are left with a Muslim family that opens and closes the church every day. Below is the catholic portion, the Armenian portion, the 12th station with people lined up to touch the Rock of Calvary, and the 14th station where a memorial tomb has been built.
From Christianity we ventured into Judaism with a stop at the Western Wall. Also known as the Wailing Wall, it is on the western side of the Temple Mount, the holiest place for the Jewish people, and represents where Herod's temple once stood. People line along the wall to pray and leave written prayers in the cracks of the wall. Pictures were not allowed in the area so there's only this quick one before we went down into the vicinity. 
From there we traipsed around the Jewish Quarter a bit but it was mostly shut down in observance of the sabbath. We hit a few more churches before traveling to the Mount of Olives, including the site of the Last Supper. It looked shockingly dissimilar to what Da Vinci always taught me was true. Where did they put the one-sided table?!
Our last stop of the day was the Mount of Olives. It has an amazing view of the city, including the spectacular view of Dome of the Rock. We were unable to visit it because it is closed for the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr, the end of Ramadan, but it's the big shiny golden one.
The mountain is, of course, home to olives and a few churches. The prettiest was the Church of All Nations, aka the Patrice church. It was also designed by Barluzzi and, along with beautiful mosaics, has some amazing stained glass windows. Ptarcie- come visit and put all those organ hours to use!! Lvoe you!
*Our classes were three years of weekly masses as the dynamic musical duo of Watertown. They also included her teaching me RACKO during lunch at the Arsenal Panera. I am still really good at one of the things she taught me.
**Seriously. Sit next to me at mass because I know exactly when to sit and stand and when they'll ring the bell.
***This proved the least helpful today because I have always been a horrible memorizer. I could only remember fragments and thought things like, "Ah, Jericho. Where Joshua fit the battle," or "Zion's Walls! Thank you, Copland!" or "Mount Oliveti...I think somebody wept here...If it wasn't Palestrina..."
****It should be noted that I have probably misrepresented Islam and many other religions in this blog and I should have never been your spiritual advisor in the first place. Shame on you.
*****An actual gate. Not the production company.
******Sorry, Patrice.
*******Zoom in for the bonus nuns!
********Bonus Patrice sister!
*********That unnecessary comment is just for you, the devoted blog reader.
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