Video Description:
Though there are many sacred sites peppered around Israel, Jerusalem has a magic no other place can produce. Jerusalem is home to beautiful churches and other sacred and historical sites.
Israel has more than a million specifically Christian visitors each year. Many of them spend most of their time in Jerusalem — where pilgrims from all sects of Christianity can pray at the city’s sacred sites.
One of the churches that stand out is the gold topped Church of Mary Magdalene — a distinctive Jerusalem landmark on the Mount of Olives.
There’s also the Church of All Nations, located at the foot of the Mount of Olives next to the Garden of Gethsemane. According to Catholicism, a section of stone in the Garden of Gethsemane is believed to be where Jesus prayed on the night of his arrest. Protestants, however, believe this to be the site of Jesus’s crucifixion.
Above all, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City, attracts the bulk of tourists. Within the walls of this enormous church it is believed that Jesus was stripped of his clothes, nailed to the cross, crucified, and buried. The energy in this church is exciting even for non-believers.
In addition to their historical significance, many of the churches are architecturally interesting as well. Visitors will delight in the Gothic-style stained glass windows, the 19th century mosaics, and the structural design of the churches.
