The Cenacle, Place of the Last Supper...and Much More.
Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they (had) prepared the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?” And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him. Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?” ’ Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us.” (Mark 12-15)
There are few Biblical scenes as often depicted and recreated as the Last Supper, from Michaelangelo’s Last Supper to Mel Gibson’s Passion of Christ and innumerable other religious films. Yet millions of pilgrims have gone to the city of Jerusalem without knowing that the place of the Last Supper is not only known, but a building dedicated to its memory still exists to this day.
The Cenacle, as it is known in the western Christian tradition (Cenacle being Latin for "the dining place"), is to be found in a warren-like complex of stone buildings and room on Mount Sion, somewhat triangulated between the Benedictine Dormition Abbey, the Armenian Quarter and the Jewish Quarter. To be clear, there is no question that the building itself is not the original structure, as the present structure dates from the time of the Crusades, but historic accounts by pilgrims and other sources indicate the site was identified and venerated as the place of the Cenacle by the late fourth century. A debate as to whether or not a synagogue existed up until the destruction of Jerusalem during the Jewish Revolt in the second half of the first century continues. It is also important to note that the Cenacle is considered to have been used by the disciples and the Virgin Mary for multiple purposes and that it was also the place of the washing of the feet by Jesus, one of the places of His reappearance following His resurrection, the gathering place of the disciples after the Ascension of Jesus and the place where Matthias was elected to replace Judas Iscariot among the Twelve Apostles, and finally, the place of Pentecost when the holy spirit descended upon the Twelve.
Twice destroyed and rebuilt during two respective eras of turmoil, following the end of the Crusades, the Cenacle was maintained first by Syriac Christians, then taken into the care of the Franciscan Custos until early in the sixteenth century, when it was forcibly repurposed as a mosque, the signs of which can still be seen today as evidenced by the Muslim prayer niche, Arabic inscriptions of the Koran on the walls and stained glass windows, and the minaret and dome on the roof. In addition, a sarcophagus purported to be the tomb of the Prophet and King David is also adjacent to the Cenacle, although its authenticity is highly debated.
Today, the site is maintained by the Israeli Ministry of the Interior, and permission is given to particular Christian Churches to celebrate some services on the feast days associated with the site. Furthermore, at the end of each January, the collective Christian community of Jerusalem gathers in the Cenacle as one of the key celebratory moments of the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Church leadership, clergy, and laity from multiple denominations and traditions join together to pray for the unity of the Christian faith and the peace of Jerusalem and the Holy Land, between faiths and peoples.
Whether the Cenacle as it is today is much as it was in the time of Christ, or whether it is now simply another building on the place of so many momentous events of Christianity, its sanctity is without question, and it remains an essential, if somewhat hidden, part of the pilgrimage trail in the city of Jerusalem.
Journey to the Holy Land!
Good Shepherd Travel offers trips to Jerusalem as part of our Holy Land comprehensive pilgrimage package along with Nazareth, Bethlehem, Jericho, the Jordan River, and the Dead Sea. Other popular pilgrimage tours to locations such as Rome, Lourdes, Fatima, and Ireland are also available. For more information on how to begin preparing for a pilgrimage in late 2022 and 2023, contact Good Shepherd Travel owner and manager, Tony AbuAita at Tony@goodshepherdtravel.com.