Sealed with a Kiss
The Grotto of Betrayal is a cave located in Gethsemane in Jerusalem, near the Tomb of the Virgin Mary and the Church of All Nations. According to Christian tradition, the cave is the place where Judas Iscariot handed Jesus over to the Roman soldiers, identifying him with a kiss on his cheek.
As described in the New Testament, Jesus and his disciples used to meet and pray in a garden located in Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives, outside the city wall. After the Last Supper, which took place according to tradition on Mount Zion, Jesus and his disciples arrived in the garden. Jesus himself separated to pray alone on the Rock of Sorrow, which is now located inside the Church of All Nations, while his disciples waited in the nearby cave. After he finished praying, Jesus returned to the cave, and met his disciple Judas Iscariot accompanied by servants of the priests and Roman soldiers. Judas kissed Jesus to identify him and thus betrayed him. Peter, another disciple of Jesus, attacked and wounded the high priest's servant, who was part of the group. Jesus healed the wounded man, and thus performed his last miracle before his crucifixion. Another tradition claims that the place of betrayal was the Rock of Sorrow itself, however most Christian churches have adopted the version of the cave. In any case, the tradition connecting Jesus and his disciples with Gethsemane is very ancient, and has evidence in several early texts.
The cave became a chapel already in the 4th century AD, and it has been used as a sacred place ever since. During the Byzantine period, the floor of the cave was covered with mosaics, and over the next hundreds of years, several dozen graves were excavated inside. During the Crusader period, the floor was covered again and its walls were decorated with fresco paintings, some of which can still be seen today. The Franciscan order acquired ownership of the cave in the 14th century, and it has been in their possession ever since. The entrance to the cave is through a long corridor located near the Tomb of Virgin Mary. Some archaeological agricultural remains were found inside it, including a water cistern and a facility that was probably an ancient winery.
(Anecdote authored by: עמיר)
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