Walt and I made a pilgrimage to Rome and the Holy Land in March 2000 and these are a few of the inspirational places we visited.
The Grotto of the Annunciation, inside the Church of the Annunciation, is in Nazareth. This is where the angel appeared to Mary to announce the coming birth of Jesus. 
The entrance to the Holy Manger inside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. 
Inside the Holy Manger is the Altar of Christ's Birth (in the background)and the Holy Manger (in the right foreground). At the Altar of Christ's Birth there is a silver Star of Bethlehem on the floor beneath the altar with a hole in the middle so that pilgrims may touch the ground where Jesus was born. 
The Sea of Galilee 
This is the baptismal pool at the Jordan River where Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist. 
The Golden Gates entrance to Jerusalem. This is the gate that tradition says the Messiah will enter through at the second coming. 
The Garden of Gethsemane. The Church of the Agony stands beside this enclosed garden and inside is the Rock of the Agony where Jesus knelt to pray. 
Altar at the place where Jesus was nailed to the cross. 
Altar in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at Golgotha, the spot where the cross of Jesus and the two theives stood. Here again, there is a silver Star of Bethlehem on the floor, with a whole in the center, where pilgrims may touch the ground where Jesus' cross stood. 
The Stone of the Unction is also in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. After Jesus died on the cross, His body was returned to His mother, Mary and placed on this slab to be annointed with a mixture of myrrh, aloe and aromatic oils before being placed in the tomb. 
The Tomb of Jesus lies in the center of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre beneath the main rotunda, in a beautifully decorated tiny chapel. The sacred rock is covered with marble and above it are paintings depicting the Resurrection. |
