With somber cypresses framing a neoclassical facade and gleaming mosaics depicting Jesus bringing God’s word to all nations, the Church of All Nations feels much older than it actually is. Franciscan monks still pray beneath the starry ceiling, while pilgrims reach across the railings to touch the sacred rock. Put the site in context on a walking tour of the Mount of Olives, visit on a Biblical tour of Jerusalem, or incorporate it into a multi-day Holy Land journey including sights in Jordan: Tel Aviv, less than an hour away, is a popular base, although Jerusalem offers accommodation to suit all pockets.
The Church of All Nations sits in the Garden of Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives, just short of the Lion’s Gate. Take bus number 1 or 3 from Jerusalem Central Bus Station (next to Jerusalem Yitzhak-Navon train station) and alight before the turn for Derech Haofel, just after Lion’s Gate Street.
The Church of All Nations is open seven days a week, with a long lunch break in the middle of the day. Mass is said (in Italian) in the early morning, with holy hour—an adoration of the Eucharist—every evening except Sunday.
Below the Garden of Gethsemane, but accessed from a passageway near the Tomb of the Virgin Mary (Mary’s Tomb), rests the Grotto of Gethsemane, a natural rock cavern which has been a chapel since the fourth century. Some Christians believe that Jesus’ disciples slept here while he endured the Agony.