Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem

It is traditionally believed that Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem, also known as Path of Sorrow or "Way of the Cross" is the route which Prophet Jesus followed, from his condemnation by the Romans to the spot where he was buried after the crucifixion. The path begins near Lions Gate in the Muslim Quarter, and ends within the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, in the heart of the Christian Quarter. This route or Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem is also one of the most popular places of sightseeing in Jerusalem and is marked by the fourteen Stations.

  -   The First Station is near the Monastery of the Flagellation, where Jesus was questioned by Pilate and then condemned.

  -   The Second Station is near the remains of an ancient Roman construction known as the Arch of Ecce Homo, in memory of the words pronounced by Pilate as he showed Jesus to the crowd.

  -   The Third Station commemorates Christ's first fall on the Via Dolorosa. The place is marked by a small chapel belonging to the Armenian Catholic Patriarchate. It is a nineteenth century building renovated and completed by Catholic soldiers of the Free Polish Army during World War II.

  -   The fourth station of Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem commemorates the meeting between Jesus and his mother.

  -   The fifth station is near the inscription on the architrave of one door which recalls the encounter between Jesus and Simon the Cyrenian, who was given Christ's heavy Cross to carry to Golgotha (Calvary), the place of the Crucifixion.

  -   The sixth station is near a church belonging to the Greek Catholics and preserves the memory of the meeting between Jesus and Veronica, whose tomb may also be seen here.

  -   The seventh station commemorates the place of Jesus' second fall which is marked by a pillar, which rises at the crossroads between the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem and the picturesque and lively Market Street

  -   The eighth station is near the outer wall of a Greek Orthodox monastery which has a carved small cross blackened by time

  -   The ninth station and the third fall of Jesus is commemorated by a column of the Roman period at the entrance to the Coptic monastery.

From the Jerusalem travel guide you'll come to know that the last five Stations of the Cross that are situated inside the Holy Sepulcher commemorate the following events:-

  -   Jesus is stripped of his garments
  -   Jesus is nailed to the Cross.
  -   Jesus dies on the Cross.
  -   Jesus is taken down from the Cross.
  -   Jesus is laid in the tomb.