Bus - 145
Minibus - 185
It is not by chance that Easter and Christmas are called the brightest holidays of Christianity, for they are illumined by the wonderful divine light.
Christmas is lit by the radiance of the Star of Bethlehem, and Easter is lit by the Holy Fire, which the entire Orthodox world in Jerusalem awaits with awe every year.
This is seen as a sign of the Divine presence among us, a symbol of the victory of life over death, of light over darkness.
Along with the fact that fire is one of the main gifts of Creation, a source of light and heat, it is the most important biblical symbol.
On the Bright Sabbath we want to dedicate our excursion to the history and significance of the Holy Divine Fire.
Let’s start in the monastery «Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant» on a picturesque hill, where 20 years were kept tablets of the law, obtained on Mount Sinai.
Let us remember how the Lord appeared in the burning bush of thorns to Moses, how He went down into the fire, making an alliance with the people of Israel, how he guided him as a pillar of fire during his forty-year wandering in the wilderness.
After that we will go to the monastery of the most «fiery» bible prophet Ilya.
Here an angel appeared to him to strengthen his spirit in times of apostasy of the people from the true faith.
Let us tell how by fire the prophet defeated the pagans, and what folk signs remind about this in Ilyin’s day.
In the Gethsemane monastery at the foot of the Mount of Olives we learn the amazing story of the miraculous icon «Neopalimaya Kupina» and we can buy the consecrated Easter pails.
From the heights of Olivet the panorama of ancient Jerusalem will open and we will remember the sacred role of fire in the rituals of the Temple of Solomon.
We will visit the Upper Room of Zion, where in Pentecost «fiery languages» descended on the apostles, giving them the fiery power of divine preaching.
Closer to lunch, we will come to the Old City to be near at the moment when the bell ringing brings the good news of a miracle.
Usually in the afternoon there is an opportunity to enter its walls.
Before us there will be crowds of jubilant people, bright festive processions of different churches.
We will find ourselves in the main place of the holiday - the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Temple of the Resurrection, where two thousand years ago the Apostle Peter first saw the great Holy Light.
Since then, on this day, the people here have experienced extraordinary joy, feeling a special divine blessing.
According to legend, this miracle prevents the end of the world.