Until the second half of the 19thcentury, the boundaries of Jerusalem were limited to the walled city we know today as the Old City. The walls, restored last by the Ottoman Sultan in the 16thcentury, had seven gates that enabled people to go in and out of the city. Facing various directions, the gates of Jerusalem were used by different people depending on the direction of their arrival and the purpose of their entry to the city.
At the distance of half a mile before reaching Emmaus you can see amid the trees the belfry the church and the Convent of the Franciscan Fathers. In the gate is invitation DOMINE , MANE NOBISCUM.The church of the Roman Gothic style was reerected on 1901.We know from the pilgrims that the church existed at the end of the 13th century.
In October 2006 Youth Choir and Orchestra from Polish Music School the K. Lipiński memorial from Lublin conducted by Teresa Krasowska was visit Israel and gave concerts in Jerusalem in Franciscan Churche and in Tiberia on the Kineret Lake.
On the second day of his visit to Israel (Tuesday, 12th May), Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Holy Mass in the Garden of Gethsemane in the Kidron Valley. Several thousand faithful, including Catholics from the Holy Land and pilgrims and tourists from around the world, attended this historic event.
