The Via Dolorosa, Latin for “the Way of Sorrows,” is the street in the Old City of Jerusalem that pilgrims walk to follow Jesus’ path from his condemnation to his crucifixion and burial. For centuries Christians from every nation have carried crosses along its narrow lanes and prayed at its fourteen stations, the origin of the Stations of the Cross prayed in every Catholic church. Below is what the Via Dolorosa is, each of its stations and where it is, a short history, and how to pray it from wherever you are.
What is the Via Dolorosa?
The Via Dolorosa is a route of about 600 meters (a third of a mile) through the Old City of Jerusalem. It begins in the Muslim Quarter, near the Lions’ Gate, where tradition places the Antonia Fortress and the judgment of Jesus by Pontius Pilate, and winds west through the Christian Quarter to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built over Calvary and the tomb of Jesus. Along the way, small chapels, plaques and Roman numerals on the walls mark the stations.
The fourteen stations along the Via Dolorosa
The first nine stations are in the streets; the last five are inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
| Station | Event | Where it is marked |
|---|---|---|
| I | Jesus is condemned to death | Courtyard of the al-Omariya school, on the traditional site of the Antonia Fortress |
| II | Jesus takes up his Cross | Franciscan Monastery of the Flagellation, with the Chapels of the Condemnation and of the Flagellation; the Ecce Homo arch spans the street nearby |
| III | Jesus falls the first time | A small Polish Catholic chapel at the corner of al-Wad Street |
| IV | Jesus meets his Mother | Armenian Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Spasm |
| V | Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the Cross | A Franciscan chapel where the street turns uphill |
| VI | Veronica wipes the face of Jesus | Church of St. Veronica, cared for by the Little Sisters of Jesus |
| VII | Jesus falls the second time | A Franciscan chapel at the crossing with the market street |
| VIII | Jesus speaks to the women of Jerusalem | A cross carved in the wall of a Greek Orthodox monastery |
| IX | Jesus falls the third time | Near the entrance to the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate, beside the Holy Sepulchre |
| X | Jesus is stripped of his garments | Church of the Holy Sepulchre, at Calvary |
| XI | Jesus is nailed to the Cross | Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Latin (Catholic) chapel of Calvary |
| XII | Jesus dies on the Cross | Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Greek Orthodox altar over the rock of Golgotha |
| XIII | Jesus is taken down from the Cross | Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the altar of Our Lady of Sorrows (Stabat Mater) at Calvary |
| XIV | Jesus is laid in the tomb | Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Edicule over the tomb |
Some stations come straight from the Gospels (the condemnation, Simon of Cyrene, the women of Jerusalem, the crucifixion, death and burial). Others, such as the three falls, the meeting with Mary and Veronica’s veil, come from ancient Christian tradition.
A short history
- The first centuries. Christians in Jerusalem honored the places of the Passion from early times. The pilgrim Egeria described processions in Holy Week in the late fourth century.
- The Middle Ages. Pilgrims followed different routes over the centuries, and the number and order of stations varied.
- The Franciscans. Since the fourteenth century the Franciscan friars of the Custody of the Holy Land have cared for the holy places. They promoted the devotion of the Way of the Cross, and European pilgrims brought it home, setting up stations in their own churches. St. Leonard of Port Maurice (1676–1751) set up hundreds of Stations of the Cross across Italy.
- The present route. The street’s present course and the fourteen stations took their current form between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Historians still discuss where Pilate judged Jesus; some place it at Herod’s palace near today’s Jaffa Gate rather than at the Antonia Fortress. The route remains a place of prayer rather than an exact map.
The Friday procession
Every Friday afternoon the Franciscan friars lead a public Way of the Cross along the Via Dolorosa, stopping at each station for a reading and prayers, and pilgrims are welcome to join. On Good Friday thousands of pilgrims walk it, many carrying wooden crosses.
How to pray the Via Dolorosa from home
You do not need to be in Jerusalem to walk the Way of the Cross. The Church encourages the faithful to pray the Stations of the Cross, especially on Fridays and during Lent, in a church or at home:
- Begin with the Sign of the Cross and an act of contrition.
- At each station, announce it (“The First Station: Jesus is condemned to death”), then pray: “We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless thee. Because by thy holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world.”
- Read or meditate on the scene, then pray an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory Be.
- Between stations, many people sing a verse of the Stabat Mater.
- End with a prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father.
Pray along with our interactive Stations of the Cross, with a meditation and prayer for each of the fourteen stations.
Scripture of the Way of the Cross
And as they led him away, they laid hold of one Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country; and they laid the cross on him to carry after Jesus.
And there followed him a great multitude of people, and of women, who bewailed and lamented him.
But Jesus turning to them, said: Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not over me; but weep for yourselves, and for your children.
Frequently asked questions
What does Via Dolorosa mean?
It is Latin for “the Way of Sorrows” or “the Sorrowful Way.”
How long is the Via Dolorosa?
About 600 meters, or roughly a third of a mile. Walking and praying all fourteen stations usually takes about an hour.
Is the Via Dolorosa the real path Jesus walked?
It follows the traditional route honored by pilgrims for centuries. The streets of Jesus’ time lie several meters below today’s pavement, and scholars debate the exact path, but it leads to the authentic site of Calvary and the tomb, venerated since the earliest centuries.
Where does the Via Dolorosa end?
At the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which contains the last five stations: Calvary and the tomb of Jesus.
More for Lent and Holy Week
- Interactive Stations of the Cross
- Good Friday
- Holy Week
- Seven Sorrows Rosary
- Chaplet of the Precious Blood
- Lent
Texts and sources
- Scripture: Luke 23:26–28, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- On the history of the stations: Custody of the Holy Land (Franciscan friars); Catholic Encyclopedia (1912), “Way of the Cross.”
- The descriptions of the stations were written for this page.