Many Holy Land sites are frauds, built after the fact; like the room sold to tourists as the “Upper Room” of the Last Supper but built in 1099 CE. But the Garden of Gethsemane is the real thing. Christ may or may not have prayed there, but the Garden of Gethsemane has very old olive trees. When Suzi and I visited the garden we were told the trees are 2000 years old. Since then, carbon dating in 2012 marked them as only between 900 to 1000 years old. DNA tests show the trees all came from a common parent. They are listed as among the oldest living trees on the planet. Any ancient living thing, whether it is 2000, or only 900 years old, deserves my respect. Here are some pics from the Original Olive Garden with its venerable trees. The Church of All Nations, designed by Antonio Barluzzi (a Franciscan architect), sits next to the garden, a pilgrimage site for Christians who come to see the site where they believed Christ prayed, was betrayed and denied, and the site of the Virgin Mary’s tomb.
