The Chapel of the Ascension
Judith - Turning the Tables on Holofernes
Where did Christ's Ascension Occur?
Photo by Paul Pastourmatzis on Unsplash
In my own opinion, the Mount of Olives presents the strongest choice as the location of the Ascension & seems to have the support of tradition in the Holy Land. While on pilgrimage in 2017, I did not learn of any modern sites (i.e., in Galilee or Bethany) claiming the honor of being the Ascension site.
"At the end of the 4th century, the site was established as the place of the ascension by Emperor Constantine’s mother, Helena....A Byzantine church was built here....
"The Byzantine church survived until the 7th century when it was destroyed by Persians. It was soon rebuilt and finally destroyed by the Arab conquerors in the 10th century. The Crusaders rebuilt the church in the 12th century....
"In 1187, Jerusalem changed hands and Saladin turned the chapel into a mosque adding a stone dome and mihrab....
"The chapel holds a slab of stone bearing a right footprint. This is believed to be Jesus’ footprint left here as he stepped up to heaven. The left footprint in stone has been moved to the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Temple Mount" (https://www.beinharimtours.com/the-church-of-ascension/).
Looking toward the area on the Mount of Olives in 2017, where the Ascension is believed to have taken place....
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About the Author
Joe Tevington is a proudly orthodox Catholic, a husband of 36 years, a dad to two married adult children, a grandpa to two, and a civil service retiree. He is a sign language fluent certified rehabilitation counselor with graduate degrees in deafness rehabilitation, religious studies/moral theology, & Christian counseling psychology. He deeply appreciates Catholic teaching on the sanctity of human life and the sanctity of the transmission of human life, as well as how they are to inform us in our apostolates and ministries.
On much lighter notes, he fancies himself to be the foremost authority on his native Brooklyn, when it comes to architecture, geography, history, Italian food, Saturday Night Fever, stick ball, stoop ball, or wiffle ball.
