The Church of the Holy Face of Jerusalem is located on the Via Dolorosa and marks the Sixth Station of the Way of the Cross, where, according to tradition, a woman named Veronica wiped the face of Jesus with a cloth. This act, although not recorded in the Gospels, has been handed down through medieval tradition. According to legend, the image of Jesus was miraculously imprinted on Veronica’s cloth. This church was built by the Greek Catholic community on the site where Veronica is said to have made this gesture of compassion towards Jesus. Although the event is not supported by the Bible, devotion to Veronica and her cloth has endured through the centuries.
The site of the Church of the Holy Face in Jerusalem was identified in the 19th century as the place where the encounter between Veronica and Jesus occurred. In 1883, Greek Catholics acquired the 12th century ruins on this site and built the church in honor of the Veronica episode. The church includes parts of the 12th century structures that once occupied the site, such as arches from the Crusader-built Monastery of St. Cosmas. Administered by the Little Sisters of Jesus, the church is not usually open to the public, but remains a place of spiritual significance for the faithful who follow the Via Dolorosa on pilgrimage.
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16-22 Al Alam St, Jerusalem - Web
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