About the project
According to Christian tradition, the Via Dolorosa (Way of the Cross) is the route Jesus followed as he carried the cross from Antonia Fortress, where he was condemned, to the Hill of Golgotha, where he was crucified. The route runs east to west from the Muslim Quarter to the Christian Quarter of the Old City, featuring fourteen stations that commemorate scriptual and traditional descriptions of the final hours of Jesus’ life, culminating with five stations within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Jerusalem Foundation supported restoration of the Via Dolorosa in 2000. Work along the route and at the first nine stations (improvements are not allowed inside the church) included facade cleaning, painting, installation of signs, new paving and lighting to highlight architectural features and to allow the thousands of daily pilgrims to the Via Dolorosa to walk the route at night. The project was a joint effort of the Jerusalem Foundation, the municipality, the Ministry of Tourism and the Israel Government Tourist Cooperation, and was carried out by East Jerusalem Development Limited to mark the start of the third millennium.
