Via Dolorosa "Way of the Cross" Begins along the streets of the Old City and ends inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher Route, maked by stations. 1. Jesus is condemned by Pontius Pilate. Jesus is tried and condemned at Pilate's Judgment Hall, also called the Praetorium (Matthew 27:2-26 ). 2. Jesus receives his Cross.  Roman soldiers scourged Jesus and gave him the cross (John 19:17 ) The Monastery of the Flagellation marks this traditional spot. 3. Jesus falls under the weight of the Cross. Jesus fell under the weight of the cross. Polish soldiers built a chapel here after WW II. This is not in the Gospels 4. Jesus meets his mother. Mary came out of the crowd to greet her son. This is not in the Gospels. 5. Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry the Cross. Roman soldiers forced Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross (Matthew 27:32) A chapel marks this spot. 6. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus. Halfway up the street a woman wiped Jesus' face and his image was supposedly preserved on a cloth. This is not in the Gospels 7. Jesus falls a second time. At the top of the hill Jesus fell under the cross for the second time. This is not in the Gospels. 8. Jesus speaks to the daughters of Jerusalem. Jesus addressed the women of Jerusalem (Luke 23:28 ). 9. Jesus falls a third time. Jesus fell for the third time. This is not in the Gospels. 10. Jesus is stripped of his garments.  Roman soldiers stripped Jesus of his garments. (Matthew 27:35; John 19:23). The next five stations are within the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The original church structure dates back to A.D. 326 the site where Emperor Constantine's mother, Helena, said Jesus' tomb was locate 11. Jesus is nailed to the Cross. Soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross (John 20:25 , 27). 12. Jesus dies on the Cross. Jesus died on the cross (Matthew 27:50; Mark 15:37 ). 13. Jesus is taken down from the Cross. Jesus' followers removed his body from the cross (John 19:31 -38). 14. Jesus is laid in the tomb. Jesus' followers buried his body in a rock-hewn tomb owned by Joseph of Arimathea (Matthew 27:59-60; Mark 15:46 ). Roman Catholic tradition of the Via Dolorosa originally had 36 stations, but it was pared down to 14 stations in the 12th century. Since the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and Gordon's Calvary and the Garden Tomb are in different places. The remaining five stations along the Via Dolorosa, follow two different paths. RETURN