The Carmelite order began with 12th century religious hermits, who, imitating the prophet Elijah who sometimes took refuge in a cave, organized themselves in caves on the Carmel Mountain in Haifa during the Crusader occupation.
Via Dolorosa
In the modern secular world, reference is made to the Via Dolorosa when choosing a metaphor to describe a drastically difficult experience one has undergone. Though the user may not be aware, this refers to the literal path down a literal road in Jerusalem that Jesus passed on the way to the crucifixion site.
Though rarely thought of as a street such as 5th Avenue orMain Street, the Via Dolorosa in the Old City of Jerusalem is a street with street signs on its walls. These signposts are perhaps the most jolting aspect of the Via Dolorosa for the first-time visitor, as they point out the connection between the past and the present in a very concrete manner.
There are “14 Stations of the Cross”, and walking the Via Dolorosa is probably the most important aspect of the visit for Christian pilgrims in Jerusalem, or Christians in general, pilgrims or not. It is the route that Jesus took between the condemnation by Pontius Pilate and His crucifixion and burial. Though important to many of the Christian denominations, it is particularly important to the Catholics and the Orthodox.
Following the route was tricky or nearly impossible until the time when Constantinoplelegalized the religion in the middle of the 4th century, and over the years the route has changed a number of times. In the 8th century the path changed to begin at the Garden of Gethsemane and headed south to Mt. Zion and then doubled back to the Temple Mount and the Holy Sepulcher. Based on the split in the Latin Church in the Middle Ages, there were two routes, going eastward or westward depending on the location of any given church. The Anglicans believed Jesus would have been led to the north towards the Garden Tomb, while the Dominican Catholics were convinced that the starting place was Herod’s Palace near the Jaffa Gate. Complicated? Perhaps, but more changes were to follow. The number of the “Stations” also varied.
From the 14th to the 16th centuries the route began at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and included only eight Stations. It was at this time that the new tradition of 14 Stations began to develop in Europe, so six more Stations were added in Jerusalem in order not to disappoint the European pilgrims who would have been surprised – if not outraged – to find only eight when they journeyed to Jerusalem to walk the Way.
Today, the 14 Stations of the Cross are incorporated into a route that begins at the Lion’s Gate in the Muslim Quarter, and ends in the Christian Quarter at the Holy Sepulcher. Each of these 14 Stations is marked with a small plaque that is sometimes difficult to spot.
The Stations:
1. Jesus is condemned
2. Jesus carries the cross
3. Jesus falls the first time
4. Jesus meets his mother
5. Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry His cross
6. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
7. Jesus falls the second time
8. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
9. Jesus falls a third time
10. Jesus’ clothes are taken away
11. Jesus is nailed to the cross
12. Jesus dies on the cross
13. The body of Jesus is taken down from the cross
14. Jesus is laid in the tomb
