The olive grove where, the Gospels say, Jesus prayed in anguish and was arrested. The name means 'oil press,' fitting a working olive garden on the Mount of Olives' lower slope. The traditional site, beside the Church of All Nations, holds olive trees of great age. The general location — an olive grove at the foot of the Mount of Olives, across the Kidron from the Temple — fits the Gospels well; the exact garden is traditional.
- Where it is
- Foot of the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem
- Scripture
- Matthew 26:36 · Luke 22:44
What the evidence confirmsAn olive grove ('Gethsemane' = oil press) at the foot of the Mount of Olives matches the Gospel setting, and ancient olive trees still grow at the venerated spot.
What it does not proveNo marker fixes the precise garden of the prayer and arrest; the exact location is early tradition rather than proven fact.
Sources & further reading