Via Dolorosa, "Way of grief" – is extremely important for Christians Jerusalem street. On it, according to tradition, Christ was carrying His cross to the place of crucifixion.

Way of the cross starting at Lion's gate. It is known that by destroying Jerusalem in the first century, the Romans built on the ruins of the city Aelia Capitolina. Modern via Dolorosa, part of the main street is unlikely to exactly correspond to the real latest the way of Christ. But, aside from geography, the way of the Cross there is another dimension – the spiritual.

In the Catholic Church during lent they do worship the Cross, giving right opportunity again, and very personally experience the suffering of Jesus. Usually placed in temples fourteen images that correspond to the events of the Cross. Near them kneel, making the so-called standing. On the via Dolorosa of standing marked by the black round marks with Roman numerals, on the street, nine of them.

The first standing – near the Lion gate, the school al-Omariya. It is believed that here was the Praetorium, where Pilate judged and betrayed at the crucifixion of Jesus. Archaeological excavations show that actually Pretoria was in another place, South of the Jaffa gate. However, the tradition here puts the beginning of a Journey of grief with a length of six hundred meters.

Across the road is the second condition. Here the Savior took upon Their shoulders the heavy wooden cross. In the Church of the Flagellation nearby Franciscan monastery there are stained glass Windows on them – wash your hands Pilate, the scourging of Jesus and His crowning with thorns, glee pardoned the robber Barabbas.

The third standing on the corner of al-WADA, commemorates the place where Jesus first time fell under the weight of the cross. In a tiny Armenian Catholic chapel of the XV century fresco depicting stumbling over Christ, and the faithful angels about Him.

About the drops of Christ during the stations of the Cross Scripture says nothing. However, tradition dictates: there were three of them, all of them marked on the via Dolorosa (the third, seventh, ninth standing). Tradition also indicates the meeting of Jesus with His mother Mary (the fourth state) and St. Veronica, atersa His face with a silk handkerchief (sixth). But the encounter with Simon of Cyrene who carried the cross instead of Christ (the fifth standing) – the event mentioned in the gospel of Luke. As the letter of the Savior to the women of Jerusalem: "Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me..." (Luke, 23:28) – is the eighth standing.

The rest are standing on the territory of the Holy sepulcher: the tenth (Jesus deprived of clothing), eleventh (nailed to the cross), twelfth (the Savior dying on the cross), thirteenth (Jesus is taken down from the cross) and the last, fourteenth (Christ believe in the coffin).

Today's via Dolorosa bears little resemblance to the place of concentration and prayer: from street stalls rushing the shouts of vendors, crowded, noisy. But it is this picture supposed to see going to execution in the rough streets of Jerusalem Christ. In the pavement of the via Dolorosa there are several stone slabs, probably used up even the sandals of Roman soldiers. It is possible to present that it had entered the blood-stained feet of the Savior.