Gethsemane

Gethsemane is a garden located at the eastern foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. It is traditionally identified as the place where Jesus prayed on the night of his arrest, shortly before his crucifixion.

The name Gethsemane derives from Hebrew and Aramaic terms meaning oil press or place of oil presses, reflecting the area’s historic function in olive oil production. The site sits beside the Kidron Valley and near the gates of the old city of Jerusalem.

In the New Testament, Gethsemane is described in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Jesus prays in anguish while his disciples Peter, James, and John fail to stay awake. He is later betrayed by Judas Iscariot and arrested by the authorities, setting in motion the events leading to his trial and crucifixion.

Historically, the garden has been a site of Christian veneration since antiquity. By late antiquity and the medieval period, religious communities built churches and sanctuaries nearby. In the modern era, the Church of All Nations, or the Basilica of the Agony, was completed in the early 20th century near the garden. The church contains a rock commonly associated with the Rock of Agony, and the garden houses several ancient olive trees whose exact ages are uncertain but are regarded as part of the site’s historic character.

Today, Gethsemane remains an important pilgrimage destination and a place for reflection within Jerusalem. It is administered in association with the Custody of the Holy Land and includes the church complex, the garden, and surrounding chapels.