Jerusalem - The Via Dolorosa

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The Via Dolorosa [Latin - “Way of Grief”, “Way of Sorrow,” “Way of Suffering”], is the traditional street that Jesus walked to His crucifixion. Traditions differs as to the starting point and the number of “stations” along the way. The tradition most followed leads from the Antonia Fortress and going west to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, a distance of about 700 yards, with 14 “stations of the cross” along the way. 

The street today is noisy, lined with vendors, and is what Jesus probably would have seen on His walk to Golgotha because it was a Passover week, and Jerusalem would have been filled with tens of thousands of pilgrims. It is quite different from the setting of the beautiful hymn, “The Old Rugged Cross.” The first words, “On a hill far away...” has led many to picture this last road as a pastoral, quiet scene, a path wending its way up a mountain to where crosses stand starkly against the sky. 

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The stations of the cross are modestly marked along the way. Nine of them are located along the street, and the final five are within the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.