Israel is a country that has been visited by millions of people for many decades to with my own eyes see the cities and places connected by the life trials of Jesus and his mother, touch the shrines and feel with your soul, standing at the Wailing Wall, your involvement in history, regardless of what nationality you are. Therefore, a trip to Israel to the holy places is a very popular tourist destination.

Jerusalem

The city, which has survived the times of rise and fall, has seen various cultures and civilizations and is a shrine for many thousands of people who profess different religions is Jerusalem. Here the redemptive feat of Christ was accomplished. Any tour of the holy places of Israel starts from here, from one of the ancient cities, the cradle of three religions - Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

The walls of the city were built by the Turks in the 16th century, and the stones from which they are built remember the times of Herod and the Crusaders. On the site of the ancient city gates, the Golden Gate attracts the attention of tourists.

According to Jewish beliefs, the Messiah was supposed to enter the city through this gate. Jesus made his entrance through them. Now the gates are walled up by Muslims so that the next Messiah cannot enter them. Many legends are connected with this gate. Guides always tell tourists and pilgrims interesting fact which is located at a depth of 5 meters. That is, the streets of Jerusalem - in the cellars.

Shrines of Jerusalem

The shrines of Judaism include the Temple Mount - Moria, revered by the Jews Holy place- The Wailing Wall and Cave in Hebron. Al-Aqsa Mosque is one of the Muslim shrines, where the Prophet Muhammad was transferred before ascending to heaven. For Muslims, this is the third most important city after Mecca and Medina. Christian shrines, first of all, are places associated with the birth and life of Jesus Christ. In Jerusalem, Christ preached, in the Garden of Gethsemane he addressed the Father, here he was betrayed and crucified, pilgrims from all over the world come here to Via Dolorosa. The trip is also interesting for tourists who love traveling to historical places. However, a trip to Israel to holy places, at prices, is not always available during the Easter and Christmas periods. Usually, during this period, the cost of a plane ticket and service for pilgrims and tourists becomes higher.

temple mount

In the Old Testament of the Bible, the Temple Mount is mentioned as the site on which the First Temple was built. It is here, according to the prophecy, that the Last Judgment on Judgment Day should take place. An interesting fact is that Jews, Christians and Muslims equally claim this shrine. What has not happened for 2000 years on this peak of Jerusalem! Jews and Christians who come to the holy places in Israel consider themselves involved in the Temple Mount mentioned in the Bible.

The history of the events that took place over many hundreds of years has made its own amendments. Now the mountain is surrounded by high walls with a perimeter length of about 1.5 km, and on the square above the old city there are Muslim shrines - the Dome over the Rock and the al-Aqsa mosque. Christians and Jews can be on the Temple Mount, but praying is strictly prohibited, as well as carrying books and religious items that are not related to the Muslim faith.

Wall of Tears

Those who come on excursions to the holy places of Israel will certainly come to the miraculously preserved ancient wall of the Second Temple. There are rules on how to behave at the Wailing Wall. So, if you face the Wall, men pray on the left, women on the right. A man must be sure to wear a kippah. According to an unknown tradition, people place notes between the stones in the Wall with various requests to the Almighty. They are mostly written by tourists. When quite a lot of such notes are collected, they are collected and buried in a designated place near Maslenichnaya Mountain.

The Wailing Wall for the people of Israel is not only a symbol of sorrow for the destroyed temples. Somewhere in the subconscious of the Jews, it is rather a prayer carried through the centuries, the prayer of the exiled people for the return from eternal exile and a request to the Lord God for the peace and unity of the Israeli people.

How did they find the place of the crucifixion of Christ

The Romans, who destroyed Jerusalem, set up their pagan temples in the new city. And only in the time of St. Constantine, when the persecution of Christians ceased, in the 4th century, the question arose of finding the burial place of Jesus. Now they began to destroy the pagan temples and temples introduced by Hadrian in 135 - such is the story. Through many military expeditions called crusades, the liberation of the shrine from the infidels took place. And after some time, Queen Elena found the place where the Savior was crucified. At the behest of the queen, the construction of a temple was begun on this site. In 335 the temple was consecrated. Historians talk about its beauty and grandeur. But less than 300 years later, he suffered from the Persians. In 1009, the Muslims destroyed it to the ground, and only in 1042 it was restored, but not in its former glory.

Church of the Ascension of Christ

The most important and most visited among the holy places of Christianity in Israel has always been the Church of the Ascension of Christ, or the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Pilgrims arriving in Jerusalem, first of all, come to bow to the stone on which Jesus was anointed in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The place where the temple was built and now operates, at the beginning of the first century, was outside the walls of Jerusalem, far from dwellings. Near the hill where Jesus was executed, there was a cave where Jesus was buried. According to their customs, the Jews buried the dead in caves, in which there were several halls with niches for the dead and an anointing stone on which the body was prepared for burial. He was anointed with oils and wrapped in a shroud. The entrance to the cave was covered with a stone.

The temple with many halls and passages, including the Holy Sepulcher and Calvary, is located at the end of the road along which Jesus walked to Calvary. Traditionally in Good Friday, before Orthodox Easter, walks along this path Procession. The procession moves through the Old City, along Via Dolorosa, which means in Latin "The Way of Sorrow", and ends in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Tourists who come to make a pilgrimage to holy places in Israel take part in this procession and worship.

Six Christian denominations, Armenian, Greek Orthodox, Catholic, Coptic, Ethiopian and Syrian, have the right to hold services in the temple. Each denomination has its own part of the complex and the time allotted for prayers.

Garden of Gethsemane

A unique landmark of Jerusalem, which must be seen when visiting the holy places of Israel, is a garden located at the foot of the Mount of Olives. According to the Gospel, Jesus Christ prayed here before the crucifixion. In this garden, there are eight centuries-old olive trees, which, it is believed, could be witnesses of this prayer. Modern methods research allowed to find out on the basis of the real age of olives growing in the garden.

It turned out that their age is very respectable - nine centuries. The researchers concluded that all these trees are related to each other, as they have one parent tree, next to which, perhaps, Jesus himself passed. History has preserved the fact that during the capture of Jerusalem by the Romans, all the trees in the garden were completely cut down. But olives have a strong vitality and from strong roots could give good shoots. Which also gives confidence that the current trees of the garden are the direct heirs of the very ones that Jesus saw.

Birthplace of the Virgin

A visit to the holy places in Israel includes a trip to the birthplace of the mother of Jesus Christ. Not far from the Sheep Gate, almost on the outskirts of the city, was the home of Mary's parents, Joachim and Anna. At present, there is a Greek temple on this site. Above entrance doors temple inscription: "The Birth Place of Virgin Mary", which in translation - "Place of the Nativity of the Mother of God." To get into the house, you need to go down to the basement, since the current Jerusalem, as the guide said, is about 5 meters higher than the previous one.

Bethlehem and Nazareth

Pilgrims visiting Israel's Christian holy sites come to Bethlehem to visit the Church of the Nativity, built on the site where Jesus was supposedly born.

The temple is more than 16 centuries old. Believers come to the temple to touch the star, installed in the place where the manger stood; visit the cave of Joseph and the cave with the burial of babies killed on the orders of Herod.

The next place of pilgrimage is the city where Jesus spent his childhood and youth. This is Nazareth. Here, in Nazareth, the Angel brought the Good News to the future mother of Christ, Mary. Pilgrims and tourists, visiting the holy places, always go to it and 2 more churches: St. Joseph and Over the past decade, the Old part of Nazareth has been renovated and the architectural beauty of the narrow streets has been restored.

Other holy places in Israel

The usual program for tourists visiting the holy places of Israel is very rich. You can stay in Jerusalem alone for weeks and discover something new every day. In order to somehow squeeze the time and meet the allotted time for the tour, the agencies organize the included tours at no cost trips to the holy places of Israel in buses, accompanied by a guide-interpreter. Of course, stops are made, there is an opportunity to take pictures for memory. From the bus window you can see the Mount of Beatitude, where Jesus Christ delivered the famous Sermon on the Mount; drive through Cana of Galilee, where Christ turned water into wine. You can make a stop in the city of Jericho, which, according to experts, is more than 6 thousand years old.

Not far from the city is the Mount of Temptation and the Forty-Day Monastery, where Jesus fasted for 40 days after his baptism. The next stop is at the place where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. And the sign that swimming is prohibited here does not stop a group of tourists.

The time allotted for a tourist trip passes quickly. Impressions, photographs and some souvenirs will long remind you of the days spent in holy places. And, of course, recommendations to your friends and relatives: "Be sure to go to Israel." There are many places that I would like to see in the Promised Land, which is why pilgrims and tourists constantly come here to once again touch the holy places.

For many believers, Israel is one of the most desirable destinations, because the history of the country is inextricably linked with the development of the world's major religions. Especially many holy relics are stored in Jerusalem, so thousands of adherents of Christianity, Orthodoxy and Islam flock here every year.

The main repository of the holy relics of Jerusalem is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The first thing that all visitors see upon entering the Temple is the Anointing Stone, on which the body of Jesus Christ was being prepared for burial. Although the Stone of Chrismation is located in the Temple of the Lord's Thunder, it is believed that it is the property of all churches.

Free admission

Address: 1 Helena Str.

Stop: City Hall

Even people who are far from religion have heard of Golgotha, the mountain on which Jesus was crucified. Calvary is part of the complex of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. You can climb it by the steps of the stairs located near the Anointing Stone. Climbing to Golgotha, you can see the location of the Cross of the Crucifixion. This is one of the most revered places in the Christian religion.

Free admission

Opening hours: daily, 4.30 – 20.00

Address: 1 Helena Str.

Stop: City Hall

Of course, the central place in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is occupied directly by the Tomb itself - a cave with a stone bed on which the body of Christ rested. The cave is part of a chapel known as Kuvuklia. In addition to the chapel in Kuvuklia, there is an chapel of the Angel, in which you can see a part of the stone that blocked the entrance to the cave. The Holy Sepulcher is one of the most valuable shrines for representatives of all Christian denominations.

Free admission

Opening hours: daily, 4.30 – 20.00

Address: 1 Helena Str.

Stop: City Hall

Tombs of Nicodemus and Joseph of Arithamea

In the Church of the Holy Sepulcher are the tombs of Saints Nicodemus and Joseph of Arithamea, the secret disciples of Jesus. They personally removed the body of Jesus from the cross and prepared it for burial. Each of them tried to ensure that their teacher was buried with all honors. It is believed that Joseph gave Jesus the cave, which he saved for his own burial, and Nicodemus himself prepared the mixture for embalming and anointed the body of Jesus.

Free admission

Opening hours: daily, 4.30 – 20.00

Address: 1 Helena Str.

Stop: City Hall

Hand of Gregory the Wonderworker

Gregory the Wonderworker is the founder of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. According to legend, in response to numerous prayers, the Virgin Mary appeared to him with John the Theologian, who revealed to him the mystery of the Holy Trinity. Today, part of the relics of Gregory the Wonderworker, including the right hand, is kept in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

Free admission

Opening hours: daily, 4.30 – 20.00

Address: 1 Helena Str.

Stop: City Hall

Sorrowful Icon of the Mother of God

Walking away from Kuvuklia along the gallery, you will come to the chapel "Dungeon of Christ". Stored here miraculous icon Sorrowful Mother of God. In 1986, tears flowed from the eyes of the Mother of God depicted on the icon. All believers interpreted this as a divine Easter miracle. Since then, the icon has periodically streamed myrrh, and many pilgrims visit the chapel in the hope of witnessing this miracle.

Free admission

Opening hours: daily, 4.30 – 20.00

Address: 1 Helena Str.

Stop: City Hall

Relics of Theodosius the Great

The relics of another saint, Theodosius the Great, are kept in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Most of his life Saint Theodosius spent in solitude in the cave of the Three Wise Men. Later, Theodosius founded the first communal monastery, which became a refuge for the weak and sick. Saint Theodosius was known for his gift to work miracles - to multiply bread to feed the destitute and heal ailments.

Free admission

Opening hours: daily, 4.30 – 20.00

Address: 1 Helena Str.

Stop: City Hall

Not only representatives of Christianity and Orthodoxy flock to Jerusalem, but also Muslims to honor the third most important Islamic shrine - the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock mosque located here. At the base of the Dome of the Rock lies the stone from which, according to legend, the prophet Muhammad ascended. The Dome of the Rock houses two important relics for all Muslims: the footprint of the Prophet Muhammad and his hair. Entrance to the Dome of the Rock is open only to Muslims.

Opening hours: Monday to Thursday, 7.30 - 10.30 and 12.30 - 1.30 (winter), 8.30 - 11.30 and 13.30 - 2.30 (summer)

Address: temple mount

Stop: City Hall

Relics of Grand Duchess Elizabeth and nun Barbara

Grand Duchess Elisaveta was deeply religious and devoted her whole life to religion and charity. After the death of her husband, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, she underwent the rite of communion and began to lead the life of an ascetic: she prayed a lot, observed all the rites, and devoted all her time to helping the sick. In 1918 she was arrested and sent into exile. Nun Varvara, sister of the Martha and Mary Convent, where she spent her last years Princess Elizabeth went with her. The lives of both women ended tragically: in an abandoned mine, where they were pushed by ruthless executioners. In 1920, the relics of the martyrs were brought to Jerusalem.

Today they are kept in the Church of Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene.

Free admission

Opening hours: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, 10.00 – 12.00

Address: Gethsemane Convention

Stop: Mount of Olives

Tombs of the prophets Haggai and Malachi

The Mount of Olives, which became the center of the construction of many temples in Jerusalem, is also the burial place of the biblical prophets Haggai and Malachi. At the end of the 19th century, the territory of the burials became the property of the Russian Orthodox Church, but the entrance here is open to representatives of all faiths.

Address: Mount of Olives

Stop: Mount of Olives

Part 1

The impression from our trip to the places of power of Israel and Jordan turned out to be the most positive. The tour was only 12 days, but it felt like at least two months had passed. I liked the logic of the route, the service and the variety of landscapes and our activities. We visited three seas, in deserts and oases, we drove the cars themselves, looking for the necessary objects according to navigators and taxi drivers, listened to guides somewhere, walked somewhere ourselves, guided by an inner voice, swam on and under water, wearing masks and bathyscaphes ... in general - everything turned out to be very impressive and informative.

When you travel to experience places of earth's power, there are always unexpected surprises, sometimes instructive, sometimes simply joyful and amazing.

We can say that it all started at Sheremetyevo Airport, where, before check-in, we unexpectedly meet with our friends and associates - Oksana and Oleg. We were together in Kailash, and in Peru, and in America ... I did not invite them to Israel, because I knew that they had already been here. How great was the mutual surprise when we learned that we were flying on the same flight to Tel Aviv!

At the Tel Aviv airport, while I was figuring out who was meeting us and on which bus, somehow unnoticed by everyone, I left my suitcase. Found, of course, already at the hotel. Since we had a program planned for the day, we tried to resolve the issue by phone, connecting our partners, even talked to the airport security on the phone and gave an oral portrait of our luggage.
With that we went for a walk along the Mediterranean Sea and get acquainted with the evening city.

Many hotels in Tel Aviv by the sea say that this is a favorite vacation spot in the season.

Now it was cool to sunbathe, but still I wanted to swim or at least chat with my feet in the gentle surf.

Everyone loved the Mediterranean!

A stunning sunset played with colors. It's hard to choose one out of hundreds of pictures!

In the evening in one of the ice cream cafes we set up our navigators, plotting tomorrow's route.

The next day I was informed that my suitcase had not yet been found, and it was not in the chamber of lost things. Well, no, no, I decided, annoyed that now I have to spend time buying something necessary, instead of learning cultural and historical values. We rented cars (here they take a very decent deposit and only with credit card!) and drove to Jaffa - the oldest port city on the coast mediterranean sea.

A stone ridge is visible in the sea - these are the remains of the rock of Andromeda. It was here that the ancient Greek story about the salvation of the beautiful Andromeda by Perseus took place. The king's daughter was chained to be sacrificed sea ​​monster, but Perseus killed the monster with the head of the Gorgon Medusa and freed the princess.

The coastal part of the city is all built of shell rock. In small courtyards - cafes and shops. There are also manufactories and workshops of artists and small exhibitions of ancient things found during excavations.

We liked the 3D performance in a small archaeological museum on the Kikar Kedumin Square in Jaffa, built over the excavations - visual, simple and fun! We recommend visiting!

Having enjoyed the hospitality of the city, we went to Jerusalem. On the way, we stopped at the airport and within 10 minutes (!) Got my suitcase! It turns out that before getting to the department of lost things, the luggage was first stored in the departments of airlines, and an Aeroflot tag hung on my luggage. Maine almost english type in a suit with a bow tie solemnly rolled out my bag. Conclusion: personal presence can work wonders, but phone calls - not always.

We reached Jerusalem quickly along the highway, but in the city itself we had to scroll three times, since there are a lot of one-way streets near the old city and the navigator could not cope with this task. Saved by benevolent Russian-speaking Israelis!

Early in the morning we went on an excursion to Bethlehem.

Having bought a tour to Bethlehem, we saved ourselves from all the problems in crossing the border to Palestine. The bus with a Palestinian driver quickly reached the Church of the Nativity. Although it was not a holiday, groups of pilgrims gathered in the square in front of the temple to touch the shrine.

The temple itself is beautiful and large. It was erected in 322 over the cave in which Jesus Christ was born.

The remains of Byzantine mosaics have been preserved on the walls and columns.

In the center, the marble floor was opened to reveal ancient mosaic the time of Emperor Constantine.

It is interesting to notice how the elements of the ornament roam through different traditions, religions and eras. The swastika, an ancient Zoroastrian symbol of the sun, passed to India, Tibet, and here in the citadel of Christianity we see a swastika, which, according to Christian canons, means a rotating cross. On the next fragment, there is also a recognizable symbol that is available in all cultures and patterns (including Russian folk ones) - an endless knot, symbolizing eternity or eternal life.

Our guide took us past the 2-hour line (another perk of a group tour!) directly to the holy of holies of the temple, the cave where Jesus Christ was born.

The fourteen-pointed star of Bethlehem marks the place of the Birth, and nearby in the grotto there was a manger in which Mary laid the newborn baby. We were very lucky, for some reason there were few people, and for about half an hour we stood in awe at the sacred place.

Saint Jerome settled in a nearby cave in 386 and spent here in prayer until 420. During this period, Blessed Jerome wrote many church works, but most importantly, he retranslated into Latin language books of new and Old Testament. This translation, called the Vulgate, has come into general use in the Western Church.

The border between Palestine and Israel is marked by a concrete wall. From the side of Palestine, we saw the design of this wall, which is very unusual for the border.

Since we were on a licensed tour bus, the border guards only smiled at us and we quickly rushed to Jerusalem.

Jerusalem
From Shrovetide Mountain you can see the old city - one of the most amazing places on the planet. Here is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher next to the great shrine of Muslims, a small patch of land, which for thousands of years passed from one ruler to another, some temples were destroyed and new ones were erected on their basis.

Camels have always lived in these once deserted places, now they are here only for photography.

The Garden of Gethsemane grew on the slopes of the mountain, and the Temple of Gethsemane was erected at the foot.

We entered the old city through lion gate, wandered through the narrow ancient streets.

We visited the Armenian, Jewish, Greek, Muslim quarters… You will not meet anyone here! We went to cafes and shops with national workshops.

But, of course, the main thing is that we visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where the slab is kept, on which the body of Christ, taken from the crucifixion, was anointed with myrrh.

It is pointless to write about Jerusalem here, since there are volumes of history here ...! The place is truly extraordinary and is a universal planetary center!

Orthodox Holy Places of Israel. Pilgrimage tours, churches, monuments and religious sites of Israel.

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To begin with, let us recall once again - literally in a nutshell - what a pilgrimage is. In the Orthodox understanding, pilgrimage means visiting holy places, revered monasteries and temples. However, in its original meaning, pilgrimage is a visit to the Holy Land. This concept itself arose in Orthodoxy precisely in connection with travels to worship places associated with the name of the Savior.

The program of the pilgrimage tour to Israel includes visiting the main Christian shrines. Depending on the composition of the group and church calendar programs can be modified, while retaining, however, their basic elements.

For Russian pilgrims, the pilgrimage usually begins with a visit to the Russian Spiritual Mission - the official representation of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Holy Land. Here pilgrims receive a blessing to make a pilgrimage, from here their path in the footsteps of the Lord begins.

Jerusalem

Making a pilgrimage through Jerusalem, pilgrims see places associated with last days earthly life of Jesus Christ. First of all, it is, of course, the holy Mount of Olives. Here are the Olivet convent, Church of the Ascension, Place of the Ascension of Jesus Christ ("Stopochka"), Gethsemane Convent, Church of St. Mary Magdalene. As well as the Garden of Gethsemane, the tomb of the Mother of God, Mount Zion, the Temple of the Assumption of the Mother of God and the tomb of King David.

The Mount of Olives, which offers an amazing view of the Old city- a sacred place for Christians. It was here that Jesus Christ preached and prayed, from here he entered Jerusalem through the Golden Gate and, finally, ascended in glory to heaven forty days after his resurrection. The legend claims that this happened at the highest point of the mountain, where the chapel now stands. However, the Russian Orthodox Church believes that the true place of the ascension of Jesus is located near the Russian Church of the Ascension and the monastery.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus liked to retire with his disciples for prayer and rest, and there he prayed after the Last Supper and was captured by the guards. In the chamber of the Last Supper, the last meal of Christ with the disciples took place, the Sacrament of the Eucharist was established. Here the washing of the feet of the apostles was performed, the beginning of a farewell conversation with them, in the garden they mourned the death of the Teacher, and here the joyful news of the Resurrection was brought.

The exact location of Mount Zion has not yet been determined. One way or another, the hill, known today under this name, acquired the symbolic meaning of the heart of the historical homeland of the Jews of the whole world. Here is the tomb of King David, the legendary Jewish king, who defeated the giant Goliath in single combat and turned the small Canaanite city of Jerusalem into the capital. Christians revere the Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God located on Mount Zion - the place where, according to legend, the Virgin Mary fell asleep in eternal sleep.

Ein Kerem is the birthplace of John the Baptist (Forerunner), who is called the Prophet of the Most High, because he went ahead of the Lord to prepare the way for Him, to give the people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins. In the Gorny Russian monastery Mother of God met with the righteous Elizabeth. And in the monastery of the Holy Cross, the righteous Lot, in atonement for his sin, planted three sprouts (pine, cedar and cypress), miraculously fused into one tree, from which the cross of the Lord was made.

In the Old City of Jerusalem, travelers will see the Temple Mount, the Wailing Wall, the house of Joachim and Anna (the birthplace of the Virgin) and Pretoria, the place of imprisonment of Jesus.

The Way of the Cross of the Savior can be traced today in Jerusalem very approximately, in view of the repeated destruction of the city. In total, fourteen stops on the Way of the Cross are known (nine are described in the Gospel, and five are evidenced by tradition). The latter are located within the Church of the Holy Sepulcher - the greatest shrine of the Christian world. In its vicinity are also such shrines as Golgotha, the Stone of Anointing, the Life-Giving Sepulcher of the Lord, the place where the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord was found, and the Church of the Resurrection of Christ.

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Bethlehem

Bethlehem (Church of the Nativity of Jesus Christ) is a small Arab town located 10 kilometers from Jerusalem on the territory of the current Palestinian Authority. According to legend, King David was born here. But Bethlehem received great fame in the Christian world thanks to another event - the birth of Jesus Christ.

Tiberias

The holy places of Tiberias are the Monastery of St. George Khozevita and ancient city Jericho, Mount of Temptation and Forty Day Monastery. According to legend, in the desert not far from Jericho in a cave on top of a mountain, Jesus fasted for 40 days after baptism, and Satan tempted him. In memory of this event, in front of the entrance to the cave, there is an Orthodox monument, as it were, stuck to the rock - the Greek Forty-Day Monastery.

Here, pilgrims will also definitely visit the monastery of St. Zacchaeus, Mount Tabor, the Jordan River - the place of Jesus' baptism and the place where pilgrims bathe, and the Russian Monastery in Magdala, where pilgrims bathe in a spring. After all, this is exactly the place where the Lord healed St. Mary Magdalene, expelling demons from her.

In the vicinity of the Sea of ​​Galilee are Capernaum, the Church of the Twelve Apostles, Tabgha, the Church of the Miracle of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes, the Mount of Beatitudes, the Church of the Sermon on the Mount. Almost the entire Gospel story unfolded on this sea. On its shore, the chief of the apostles were called, there sounded a sermon of peace and love from the lips of Christ, He walked on these waters. Here the Lord healed many sick people, here the miracle of the multiplication of loaves took place. In this place, the Savior climbed the mountains to talk with the Heavenly Father.

And Canna of Galilee is the place where Christ first showed his miraculous power, transforming at the wedding celebration plain water into wine.

Nazareth

The Archangel Gabriel was sent to Nazareth to announce to the Virgin Mary the birth of the Savior of the world from her. Christ spent his childhood, adolescence and youth in the modest dwelling of this city. The Church of the Archangel Gabriel and the Church of the Annunciation standing here are a memory of these events.

Netanya and Haifa

At the top of Mount Carmel is a cave where St. The Prophet of God Elijah during the three and a half years of rainlessness. There is a tradition that the Virgin Mary visited the cave of Elijah with the baby Jesus during their residence in Nazareth. In memory of these events, there is a Carmelite monastery on the mountain, the cave of St. Prophet Elijah and the Russian Church of St. Prophet Elijah on Mount Carmel.

Jaffa and Lydda

The city of Jaffa is said to be the oldest city in the world. Here, on the seashore, Noah built his ark, and his son Japheth became the founder of the city. In Jaffa for a long time the apostle Peter lived: here, according to legend, he resurrected the righteous Tabitha. Pilgrims will be able to visit the Russian Church of St. Apostle Peter, Chapel of St. righteous Tabitha.

Lydda (Lod) is the birthplace of St. George the Victorious, the church of St. Great Martyr George the Victorious is also located here. In Lida, the miraculous icon of the Mother of God is kept, which, according to legend, miraculously appeared during her lifetime.

We thank Yuri Akhmetovich Minulin, director of the Radonezh Pilgrimage Service, for his help in preparing the material.