Wednesday was the last day of our tour of Israel. As usual, we were up early and ready to see many new sites. Our first visit was to the traditional Upper Room, where Jesus held the Last Supper with his disciples. This may also have been the room where the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples on the Day of Pentecost, and possible where the first Christian church was located. Of course, this particular building was built much later, probably by the Crusaders in 1000 AD, then later used by the Muslims as a mosque. It is now in the hands of the Jewish people.

The Upper Room

Below the Upper Room is the Jewish holy site of King David’s Tomb. We were not allowed to see the actual tomb, as there were Jewish women there holding a prayer service (on the women’s side). Later archaeological excavations have shown that David was buried in another place, but this has remained a very special place for the Jews.

King David’s Tomb Memorial

We then walked to the Gallicantu (“cock’s crow”) also known as the Church of St. Peter. Here is the traditional site for Caiphas’ palace, where Jesus was tried before the Sanhedran and Peter denied him three times. This particular church is owned by the Assumptionist Fathers, a French Catholic order established in the 1800s.

Church of St. Peter