Dominos Flevit

Another must see Church on the Mount of Olives is the teardrop-shaped Church of the Dominus Flevit (The Lord Wept) which recalls the Gospel story where Jesus wept over Jerusalem's fate in the future. The Church is located about halfway down the western slope of the Mount of Olives along the Palm Sunday Procession route. It can be accessed by foot through the steep walkway either from the top of Mount of Olives or from the bottom near the Church of all Nations. Built in 1955 over the ruins of a fifth-century Byzantine church, excavations led by Fr. Bellarmino Bagatti uncovered Byzantine mosaic floors, artifacts from the Canaanite period and archaeological tombs (including ossuaries and sarcophagi) from the Second Temple and Byzantine eras. The courtyard is adorned with ancient olive trees, where Jesus is said to have wept over the city of Jerusalem. Like most churches, the Dominus Flevit faces east an offer an amazing view of the Olive City and the Temple Mount though the large arch shaped window behind the altar. During Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, crowds threw their cloaks on the road in front of him and shouted, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord". Within a period of 40 years, in AD 70, Jesus' prophecy was fulfilled. After six months of fighting, the Roman legions burnt down the Temple and leveled Jerusalem. The 4th Century Byzantine Church was destroyed during the Persian invasion and 21 day siege of Jerusalem in 614 AD. The site was forgotten until the Crusader built a small chapel at the site. In 1187, the Church was destroyed by the Mamelukes after the fall of Jerusalem. During the early sixteenth century, the site housed a mosque or madrasah, presumably built by the Turks from the remains of an earlier church, but its exact purpose is unknown. This place was known as el Mansouriyeh (The Triumphant) and also el Khelweh (The Hermitage). Eventually it was deserted and then a private house was built on the site in 1913. The property was later purchased by the Franciscans who designed and constructed the new Church between 1953-1954 by the Italian architect Anotnio Barluzzi. The site is currently managed by the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land.