Christianity
Israel’s Christian heritage spans New Testament Galilee, Byzantine monasteries, Crusader Jerusalem, and the late-Ottoman churches of the Old City. Posts here cover Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity, Roman-Byzantine Jerusalem, the Carmelite monastery at Stella Maris, the Holy Sepulchre, and the Christian quarters of the Old City.
19 articles
19 articles
Bethlehem
A brief first visit to Bethlehem, just over the line in Area A, to see the Church of the Nativity, shared between Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Catholic communities, and the crypt marking the traditional site of Jesus’ birth.
Roman and Byzantine Jerusalem
A field-trip day tracing the Roman and Byzantine layers of Jerusalem: Zedekiah's Cave by the Damascus Gate, the arches at Alexander Nevsky, the Byzantine corners of the Holy Sepulchre, the cardo, and the ruins of the Nea Church.
Jerusalem: a miscellany
A miscellany day in Jerusalem covering sites that don't fit a single theme: the Church of St Etienne, the École Biblique, the Armenian Ceramics Workshop, St George's Cathedral, and Hezekiah's Tunnel in the City of David.
Haifa
A day in Haifa: the Bahai Gardens spilling down Mount Carmel, the Ahmadiyya mosque, Stella Maris and the cave of Elijah, the German Colony, and a hike in Nachal Siach to round off.
Crusader Jerusalem
A walk through the Old City focused on the Crusader century: the Cenacle on Mount Zion, the Nea Church, the German Knights' hospice, the Crusader market, the Church of the Redeemer and the Holy Sepulchre.
Christianity in the Judean Hills
The final of five field trips on Christian sites: Abu Ghosh, Ein Kerem and Beit Jamal. Crusader churches, the birthplace of John the Baptist and a Salesian monastery on the way home.
Ramla and Lod
A field trip to two adjacent cities in central Israel: the Karaite Centre, White Tower, Arches Pool and Great Mosque in Ramla, plus the Church of St George in Lod. A surprisingly rewarding day for return visitors.
The Via Dolorosa
Walking the Via Dolorosa, station by station from the Antonia fortress to the aedicule in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. With a morning stop at the Garden Tomb, the Church of St Anne and the Pool of Bethesda.
Christianity on the Mount of Olives and Mount Zion
A walking tour of the Christian sites surrounding the final days of Jesus: from the Chapel of the Ascension on the Mount of Olives, down through Gethsemane, and up to the Last Supper room and St Peter in Gallicantu on Mount Zion.
Christianity Around the Sea of Galilee
Day two of our Christian odyssey takes us around the shores of the Kinneret: the Jesus Boat at Ginosar, the Mount of Beatitudes, the two churches at Tabgha, Capernaum, Kursi and Yardenit. With a quick lunch of St Peter's Fish in the middle.
If you are going to Israel, you would be mad not to give him a call.
Amol Rajan, BBC presenter and broadcaster
Having been on trips in Israel with seven different tour guides, Samuel stood above all the rest.
Seasoned Israel traveller
Samuel is one part walking encyclopedia, one part storyteller, one part stand-up comedian.
Berkeley Haas Business School student