IN JERUSALEM

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 52, Issue 3248, 5 April 1943, Page 3

IN JERUSALEM

NETHERTON BOY’S TRIP

ft VISIT TO HOLY CITY

HISTORICAL PLACES SEEN

Biblical scenes of which all have

read are recalled in the following letter from Corporal W. J. Irwin to a friend in Paeroa in describing a visit he paid to the Holy City of Jerusalem. Prior to __the war Corporal Irwin was employed by Mr P. Roache of Netherton. Corporal Irwin writes as follows: — “Here is an account of my trip to the Holy City of Jerusalem. From the start of my trip, leaving at . 8 a.m. and back at 9 p.m., the entire day was one of amazing scenes. “First passing through some wonderful farming country of grassland, crops and orange groves, etc., we passed over a very historic old Roman bridge built in the year 1200. Then passing through some more agricultural land we passed a German settlement out of which the young men. left for Germany on the outbreak of war. The entire settlement is ibarracaded in barb wire fences and guarded for the duration. Its inhabitants still carry on under supervision.

Where Joseph Was Born “Then our trip started into the 'hilly country of which all is fenced off in small sections by stone walls about three or four feet high. Around these parts is a grave and monument to the first German airman who crashed in Palestine in the last war. “In many parts along the roadside small forests and trees grow. From here the road is very windy and takes on rather a steep incline as Jerusalem is roughly 2009 feet above sea level. Here the country is m many parts very rocky and not unlike Greece and Crete. All the time as we climbed we passed through numerous Arab villages which give a very picturesque scene. On a high hill in one of these villages we passed the place where Joseph of Aramathea ■ was -born. Here the country is very steep and the bus had a hard climb. Church of Elizabeth

“Before dinner we visited the place where John the Baptist was born. Around here are several tombs and they are still excavating. Over the actual birthplace is the wonderful •Church of St. John. Around here is also the walls of old Jerusalem.

“Next we visited, the 'Church of Elizabeth. This church now has another church 'built on the old site. On the gable is a wonderful painting of the Virgin Mary visiting her cousin Elizabeth, called the Sanctuary of Visitation. This scene is one taken from the Bible when the Virgin paid her cousin a visit. There is a well in the village which was said to spring forth on the spot where the Virgin Mary touched and was called the Virgin fountain. It is still in use to-day. Inside the church is a beautiful ■glass dome with the painting of grape vines and its fruit. On the walls are painted a scene of Herod’s soldiers slaying the innocents of two years and under while their mothers look on horrified. Then on another wall is the meeting of Mary and Elizabeth with the Holy Ghost ap-

pearing in the form of a dove. “Then we went to the Y.M.C.A. for dinner where I bought some wonderful snaps' of Jerusalem. Christ’s Dungeon “Our next/ place to visit was the Church of St. Peter. This was built over the exact place in Gethsemane where St. petei’ denied his Lord and at this same place Christ was tried, condemned, mocked and imprisoned by the Jews. Under the floor of the church is the dungeon where Christ and the two thieves were chained and the holes where the chains held them can still be seen as can the deep dark dungeon where Christ was thrust overnight before he was condemned to death. On the side of the wall is a look-out hole where the soldier on guard could look down on his prisoner. A hole in the roof of this solid dungeon was thought to be how Christ was lowered into this place as the marks of ropes can be seen in the side of the hole. In other parts lead-" ing from the dungeon are many huge cave-like places that were used by the army to live or store goods in. Outside is the Garden of Gethsemane. Church of All Nations

“Next we visited another church which' is built around the spot where the earth was rent by an earthquake during the near end of our Lord when he was dying on the cross. The split in the rock around that spot can still be seen and in front of this: spot is over half of the original stone which was rolled away from the Sepulchre. An altar is built around it.

“Then we visited another marvellous church called the Church of All Nations. As we entered this wonderful place which is guarded by Greek monks who continually chant an ageold chant all the time you are in the church. The floor is all hand laid in beautiful stone and in the centre of which i& the Star of Bethlehem and a dome of some wonderful Bible characters. As this portion is round and large there are twelve places dedicated to the church by kings of all natinons. Each little shrine has been built into the walls and each has an altar of marble and lots of 'gold candlesticks with gold settings. “From there we went into another portion of this church where a lovely shrine is built over the place where the Mother of Christ died, a marble couch on which rests the image of the Virgin Mary laid out in a gold shroud. The face and hands are of white marble. Around this is built the shrine. There are also a few chapels inside this huge building all of which would take a writing pad to describe, but I am only giving you the main places of our Lord’s last place -on earth. British War Memorial “From here we went around the walls of the old city seeing its many entrances. Then we visited the British War Memorial and graves of New Zealand soldiers, also Australian and British, all in very neat rows and very nicely kept ( indeed. We also saw the chapel dedicated by the officers and n.c.o.’s and men of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in memory of their fallen comrades. All the names of the Anzac men are on bronze plates. There is also a visitors’ register book. “From there we entered one of the old city gates and had a look at an old fortress in a very sad state of desay. Then we went down a little narrow street between the old walls.

Here was a bazaar where one could buy anything from gold jewels, wood carvings to silver and gold brooches, etc. This led out into the street where the Holy Sepulchre is. Here stands a very old church which is now strengthened by steel girders outside and is at present under extensive repairs inside. Gifts From Kings “The old church is guarded by police who sleep on the premises as here is where all the last events of our Lord’s life on earth ended. First thing to be seen inside is the stone where oui. Lord was annointed after being taken down from the Cross. This is a marble stone with huge lamps hanging above. Next is the Holy Sepulchre which cannot be seen only through the scaffolding of the workmen and is partially covered for repairs to the walls and roof of the church. Next is the beautiful shrine

built over the rock with the hole in which the cross of our Lord stood and another one is over the place where Christ was put to the cross and a small chapel over where the Mother of Christ looked on in sorrow at the crucifixion of her son. On the floor around where we stood was on the spot on Calvary where all this took place. “But there is another beautiful shrine of the Mother of Christ and that is a statue of the Virgin Mary in a huge glass case which has sides of pure gold and decorated by gifts of thousands of wealthy kings and folk. There are bracelets of diamonds, pearl necklaces, diamond rings, jewels, rubies, medals and hundreds of other wealthy gifts. This statue is of the Virgin Mother looking very sad after our Lord’s death. This was presented

by a Spanish King and is called the “Mater Dolorosa” or Mother of Christ.

Inside this huge church are several chapels the names of which are “The Grotto,” where the Cross of Christ was found, “The church of St. Helena,” “Golgotha,” where the Cross of Christ stood when he hung on it, the site where Christ appeared to Mary Magdalene, “Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre,” and the “Chapel of the Angel.” All these are wonderfully decorated in marble and gold with scenes printed above. “So here ended one of the best wellspent day’s trips this .side of the world. After tea we had a look through a portion of the city.”