Mount of Olives, BYU-J & The Garden of Gethsemane

One of the best views of old Jerusalem can be seen from the Mount of Olives. And it's especially breathtaking from the BYU Jerusalem Center Campus. Truly. (NB: I had planned to do a semester abroad at the Jerusalem center while at University. Unfortunately, the center was bombed shortly before I was to submit my application and the facility was shut down for the remainder of my University years... Sigh.)

 View of the old city from BYU-J

One of a series of models of the old city, depicting the different occupations and building phases over the centuries.

In the distance you can see the Dome of the Rock.

 Entrance to the Brigham Young University Jerusalem Center. The facility was designed by David Resnick, a famous Brazilian-Israeli architect, who also designed the Hebrew University, located not too far from BYU-J.

The recital hall at BYU-J, which looks out over the old city.

After a tour of the grounds and a beautiful Organ recital at BYU-J, (Amazing pipe organ and recital hall there!) my friends and I walked through an area on the Mount of Olives with a rather tumultuous reputation to the Garden of Gethsemane, making a stop at the Orson Hyde memorial garden, which is a lovely, peaceful little park.

 At the top of Orson Hyde Memorial Garden. 

The long, winding path deposits you a block away from the Garden of Gethsemane.

 Entrance to the Garden of Gethsemane. Entrance is free, but there are set hours. In the distance you can see the Dome of the Rock, and the city's eighth gate, the Golden Gate, which was walled up by Sultan Suleiman the Great to prevent Christ's return to the city as He is supposed to return through that gate.

One of the amazing, old Olive Trees in the Garden. A couple of the trees are more than 2,000 years old, which means they were quite possibly in the Garden when Christ prayed there and bled from every pore. My friends and I met the gardener, who keeps close watch over this piece of earth. His family has been tending the garden for hundreds of years.

 A beautiful frieze near the grove of olive trees in the garden, depicting Christ's prayer.

 The church built on the site, the Church of All Nations. It is quite famous and was a collaborative effort between several Nations to build. Behind the church you can see the golden spires of the Russian Orthodox church.

 Mosaics and statues of the apostles line the pediment of the church.

 This is inside of the church.

It is supposed to be "The Spot" where Christ offered up His prayer before he was betrayed by Judas Iscariot and arrested.

The gorgeous dome inside of the church.