🗺 Presentation
At the crossroads of three continents, on its white limestone hills, Jerusalem is the most frequently mentioned city in the Bible and the spiritual center of the world for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. David conquered it around 1000 BCE and transferred the Ark there (2 Samuel 5-6); Solomon built the Temple there (1 Kings 6-8); the prophets made it the center of eschatological hope (Isaiah 2:2-4; Zechariah 14). Jesus entered it in triumph, celebrated the Last Supper there, was crucified there, and rose again there; it was there that, at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles to found the Church (Acts 2:1-13). The Book of Revelation concludes Scripture with the vision of a "new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven" (Revelation 21:2). With its sanctuaries of the Holy Sepulchre, Mount Zion and the Mount of Olives, the Holy City remains the foremost place of pilgrimage in Christendom.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: that your friends may be safe!
Psalm 122:6
Hebrew
Yerûšālayim
Greek LXX
Ἱερουσαλήμ
Latin
Jerusalem
Modern
Al-Quds / Yerushalayim (Israel/Palestine)
English
Jerusalem
German
Jerusalem
Spanish
Jerusalem
Italian
Jerusalem
Polski
Jerozolima
Portuguese
Jerusalem
📜 Major Biblical Events
👑
Kingdoms
David conquered Jerusalem and made it his royal capital.
📖 2 S 5.6-9
David
👑
Kingdoms
Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem and transferred the Ark of the Covenant there.
📖 1 Kings 8:1-13
Solomon
🏛️
Exile
Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the Temple and deported the population to Babylon.
📖 2 R 25.8-12
Nebuchadnezzar
Zedekiah
✝️
Gospels
Jesus enters Jerusalem in triumph, acclaimed by the crowd.
📖 Luke 19:28-40
Jesus
✝️
Gospels
Death and resurrection of Jesus in Jerusalem.
📖 Luke 23:33–24:9
Jesus
Mary Magdalene
Rock
🔥
Acts
Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost; speech of Peter and first baptisms.
📖 Acts 2:1-41
Rock
Holy Spirit
✝️ Biblical Theology
Old Testament
Jerusalem, conquered by David from the Jebusites, became the political and religious capital of Israel (2 Samuel 5:6-9). Solomon built the Temple there, the house of God's Name (1 Kings 8). The prophets proclaimed oracles of judgment and consolation there. The exiles dreamed of going up to Zion (Psalm 137). Jerusalem was both the city of God, the center of worship, and a place of infidelity that drew down punishment and the hope of a messianic restoration.
New Testament
The New Testament places the heart of the Paschal Mystery in Jerusalem: Jesus dies there crucified and rises again on the third day (Lk 23–24). It is there that the Last Supper takes place, that the Holy Spirit descends upon the apostles at Pentecost (Acts 2), and that the first Christian community is born. Jesus weeps over the city there (Lk 19:41–44). The Book of Revelation announces a new Jerusalem descending from heaven, a bride adorned for the Lamb (Rev 21:2).
Saint Augustine
— City of God
He reads Jerusalem both as the holy city of salvation history and as a figure of the heavenly Jerusalem, the ultimate homeland of the saints. For him, earthly Jerusalem becomes the visible sign of the city of God toward which the Church strives.
✦ Meditation — Lectio Divina
The stones of Jerusalem hold the memory of everything: the blood of sacrifices, the tears of exiles, the cry of the cross. In its narrow streets, the scent of warm stone mingled with incense rises like a wordless prayer. It is here that God chose to dwell among humankind, here that he left his imprints on the very fabric of the world. Salem, the city of peace, still bears in its name the promise that nothing has extinguished. Let Jerusalem remind you that God's peace is not an idea—it has a place, a history, a face. Catechetical angle
Jerusalem is the geographical and theological heart of the Bible: the place of the Covenant, the Passion, and Pentecost. It invites catechumens to understand that the entire history of salvation converges on this city, an image of the heavenly Jerusalem.
👤 Biblical figures
125 characters linked to Jerusalem
⭐ Major Characters 65
💡 Revelation
📍 Presence
✝️ Ministry
🚶 Pilgrimage
🍼 Birth
⚰️ Death
✨ Vision
📋 Other characters 60
✝️ Ministry
Abishag AT
Absalom AT
Achitofel AT
Adonias AT
Agabus NT
Agrippa II NT
Ananie NT
Antiochus IV Epiphanes AT
Artaxerxes I AT
Athalie AT
Bacchids AT
Baruch AT
Eved-Melek AT
Felix NT
Festus NT
Hannah (prophetess) NT
Herod Agrippa I NT
Hilqiya AT
Hiram of Tyre AT
Hushai AT
Joab AT
Joïada AT
Joïada AT
Joiaqim AT
Jonathan Maccabeus AT
Josabath AT
Josabath AT
Josiah AT
Judas (brother of the Lord) NT
The doormaid NT
The man born blind NT
Manasseh AT
Menelaus AT
Mephibosheth AT
Michal AT
Nehushta AT
Onias III AT
Rhodes NT
Rizpa AT
Sanballat AT
Sapphire NT
Zedekiah AT
Sennacherib AT
Seraya AT
Simon Maccabeus AT
Tamar (David's daughter) AT
Zorobabel AT
⚰️ Death
🍼 Birth
📍 Presence
💡 Revelation
🏛️ Archaeology & current state
Excavations
Kathleen Kenyon (1961-67): stratigraphy of the City of David; Eilat Mazar (2005-): Davidic palace.
Current state
reside
Current places of worship
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Dome of the Rock, Al-Aqsa Mosque, Basilica of the Agony.
🏛️ UNESCO — Old City of Jerusalem (list in danger) (1981)
🚶 Biblical Itineraries
✍️ Articles about this place
150 articles about Jerusalem
To bear his cross and open his door
The cross is not an option: it lies at the heart of every Christian vocation.
Opening one's home to welcome God: what the Shunammite woman teaches us about true hospitality
Whoever does not take up their cross is not worthy of me. Whoever welcomes you welcomes me (Mt 10:37-42)
«"Let it be done according to your faith" — John Cassian and the mystery of faith that opens heaven
The heart of the people cries out to my Lord, on the wall of the daughter of Zion (Lam 2:2, 10-14, 18-19)
Leaving without delay: what the Magnificat reveals about saving humility
Touching without holding back: when Jesus heals to set free
«Faith is made» — Saint Caesarius of Arles and the scandal of a faith without hands
He, the greatest: John the Baptist, the embodiment of all holiness
Your wife will bear you a son, and you will name him John (Luke 1:5-17)
His name is John (Luke 1:57-66, 80)
Even before I formed you in your mother's womb, I knew you (Jer 1:4-10)
The radical nature of the Gospel: when God refuses to grow old
«I will defend this city, I will save it for my own sake and for David’s sake» (2 Kings 19:9b-11, 14-21, 31-35a, 36)
Don't judge: the difficult art of letting God be God
The Lord removed the tribes of Israel from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah remained. (2 Kings 17:5-8, 13-15a, 18)
Do not fear those who kill the body: Leo XIV and the hidden victory of the martyrs
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body (Mt 10:26-33)
He delivered the afflicted from the hand of the wicked (Jer 20:10-13)
Zechariah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar (2 Chronicles 24:17-25)
Full granaries don't save: a meditation on wealth, madness, and true treasure
They anointed Joash and acclaimed him, shouting, “Long live the king!” (2 Kings 11:1-4, 9-18, 20)
Praying without witnesses: what secrecy reveals about God and about us
A chariot of fire separated them. Then Elijah ascended into heaven (2 Kings 2:1, 6-14)
You have caused Israel to sin (1 Kings 21:17-29)
The third way: Jesus and the art of resisting without losing oneself
Naboth was stoned to death (1 Kings 21:1-16)
When God trembles for his sheep: the compassion that sends
When the miracle changes its face: Gregory the Great and the inner revolution
Jesus called his twelve disciples and sent them on a mission (Mt 9:36 – 10:8)
With you, Mary — Learning to seek Jesus where he truly is
His mother treasured all these things in her heart (Luke 2:41-51)
The first of the toddlers: when the Son learns to receive
I am gentle and humble in heart (Mt 11:25-30)
Barnabas, the apostle of comfort
Christ, a living fulfillment: when the Law becomes freedom
Salt of the earth, light of the world: the quiet call that changes everything
Trinitarian love: when the Spirit liberates love from its own prison
«"She gave everything she owned" — Thérèse of Lisieux and the art of absolute giving
Giving until you're empty: the scandalous lesson of the widow
This poor widow put more into the treasury than all the others (Mark 12:38-44)
Sitting with God, but not yet — The Cistercian art of walking before reigning
«How can he be both his son and his Lord?» — The Christological Conundrum of Mark 12:35-37
How can the scribes say that the Messiah is the son of David? (Mark 12:35-37)
Loving oneself: the forgotten commandment at the heart of the Gospel
To love with one's whole being: when Jesus summarizes the Gospel in two commandments
There is no commandment greater than these (Mark 12:28b-34)
The God of the Living: When Eternity Tears the Veil of Time
God of the living: what Jesus says to those who do not believe in the resurrection
He is not the God of the dead, but of the living (Mark 12:18-27)
Seeing the face of God: Christ, mirror of the Father
What belongs to God is not negotiable.
Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's. (Mark 12:13-17)
The keystone: when God entrusts his vineyard to free hands
The Vine and the Son: When God Bets Everything on Love
They seized the beloved son, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard (Mark 12:1-12)
When love comes first: Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the God who always comes first
God sent his Son so that, through him, the world might be saved (John 3:16-18)
The Church of Saints: When God Takes the Lead
By what authority are you doing this? (Mark 11:27-33)
Faith, the Kingdom that beats within you: meditating on Saint Maximus the Confessor
Loving without borders with Saint Ursula
My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations. Have faith in God (Mark 11:11-25)
«"They had their plans in mind": Bartimaeus, Jesus, and the forgotten apostolate of the ear
Rabbi, let me regain my sight! (Mark 10:46b-52)
«The cross fully encompasses the resurrection»: Adrienne von Speyr and the Paschal perspective of all suffering
We are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be betrayed (Mark 10:32-45)
What you will receive a hundredfold: Jesus, relationships, and the true price of eternal life
Walk with Saint Berenger, monk of light
You will receive, in this present age, a hundredfold, along with persecutions, and in the age to come, eternal life (Mark 10:28-31)
«Even on the cross, he did not forget his mother» — Ambrose of Milan and the mystery of Christ’s filial piety
Here is your son. Here is your mother (John 19:25-34)
They devoted themselves to prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus (Acts 1:12-14)
Sent like him: the vertigo of the mission
Pentecost – Birth of the Church
Rivers of living water will flow (John 7:37-39)
Dry bones, I will put breath into you, and you will live (Ezekiel 37:1-14)
«"The disciple whom Jesus loved": allowing ourselves to be reached by a gaze that precedes us
A certain Jesus who died, but whom Paul claims to be alive (Acts 25:13-21)
When the Spirit is slow to come: the school of desire according to John of Avila
That they may become perfectly one (John 17:20-26)
You must also bear witness to me in Rome (Acts 22:30; 23:6-11)
Be vigilant! The soul awake in the heart of the world
That they may be one as we are one (Jn 17:11b-19)
I entrust you to God, who has the power to build the edifice and to give to each one the inheritance (Acts 20:28-38)
«I pray for them» — The intercession of Christ, the beating heart of our salvation
Father, glorify your Son (Jn 17:1-11a)
I am finishing my race and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus (Acts 20:17-27)
Christ, the free victor: Romano Guardini and the mystery of sovereign forgiveness
Take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:29-33)
When you became believers, did you receive the Holy Spirit? (Acts 19:1-8)
The Son who came from the Father: when God speaks before creating
Given to the Lord: the vertigo of being chosen by God
Father, glorify your Son (Jn 17:1b-11a)
They all joined together constantly in prayer (Acts 1:12-14)
Asking the impossible: a theology of intercessory prayer
The Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed (Jn 16:23b-28)
«The woman who gives birth is in pain» — Adam of Perseigne and the mysterious fruitfulness of charity
Saint Denise: to die in order to live
No one will take your joy from you (John 16:20-23a)
Heaven is not up there: a meditation on the porosity of the world
«I am with you always» — The presence of Jesus as an answer to human anguish
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me (Mt 28:16-20)
While the Apostles were watching him, he was lifted up (Acts 1:1-11)
The face of God has faces: entering into the "Inter-Faces" of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit
The Spirit of truth will guide you into all the truth (John 16:12-15)
From dispersion to communion: how the Spirit makes us one bread
If I do not go away, the Defender will not come to you (John 16:5-11)
Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and all your household (Acts 16:22-34)
The Spirit of Truth: The One who keeps us standing and leads us further
The Spirit of truth will testify in my favor (Jn 15:26 – 16:4a)
The Lord opened her mind to pay attention to what Paul was saying (Acts 16:11-15)
«"If you love me": desiring God, allowing Him to dwell within you, learning to trust
I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate (John 14:15-21)
Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:5-8, 14-17)
To be different in order to be free: the Christian, a happy stranger in a world that rejects him
You do not belong to the world, because I have chosen you out of the world (John 15:18-21)
Go over to Macedonia and come to our aid (Acts 16:1-10)
This is my commandment: that you love one another (John 15:12-17)
The Holy Spirit and we ourselves have decided not to impose on you any other obligations than these, which are necessary (Acts 15:22-31)
The joy that remains: when Jesus fulfills man's deepest desire
Gisèle: exiled queen, faithful abbess
Remain in my love so that your joy may be complete (John 15:9-11)
I believe that we should not persecute those who, coming from the nations, turn to God (Acts 15:7-21)
Fertility or efficiency: when God transforms our seeds into an eternal harvest
He who abides in me, and I in him, bears much fruit (John 15:1-8)
It was decided that they would go up to Jerusalem to the Apostles and Elders to discuss this matter (Acts 15:1-6)
«I give you my peace» — What the gesture of peace really says about us and Christ
I give you my peace (John 14:27-31a)
Having gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them (Acts 14:19-28)
Living Memory: How the Spirit of God Unfolds the Mystery of Christ Through the Ages
The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything (John 14:21-26)
We proclaim the Good News: turn away from these worthless practices, and turn to the living God (Acts 14:5-18)
If there were only one path to salvation: Gregory of Nazianzus and the plurality of paths to God
All roads lead to God: the freedom of the paths to salvation according to Gregory of Nazianzus
I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:1-12)
They chose seven men filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:1-7)
Seeing His Face: Christ, living icon of the Father
He who has seen me has seen the Father (John 14:7-14)
The hands of Christ still at work: the inexhaustible dignity of the opus humanum
Jeremiah of Anathoth, prophet of the New Covenant
I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:1-6)
«"Amen, Amen" — When the Definitive Word Opens a New World
If anyone receives the one I send, he receives me (John 13:16-20)
Christ, the Way and the Gate: Entering the Ocean of Peace according to Saint Catherine of Siena
I, who am the light, have come into the world (John 12:44-50)
Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul (Acts 12:24 – 13:5)
Gifts to Christ: when the heart becomes a dwelling place
The Father and I are ONE (Jn 10:22-30)
📍 Nearby places (within a 50 km radius)
Mount Zion
1 km away · hill
Siloé Swimming Pool
2 km away · well
Golgotha
2 km away · hill
Gethsemane
3 km away · garden
Mount of Olives
3 km away · mountain
Bahurim
5 km from the town
Ain Karim
5 km from the village
Bethany
5 km from the village
Bethlehem
7 km from the town
Gabaon
9 km from the town
Guivéa
9 km away · hill
Anatot
10 km from the town