What makes Gethsemane such - as explained by the Hebrew meaning of the name - is the fact that oil was produced in this area at the foot of the Mount of Olives, even at the time of Jesus. In the area, however, no archaeological evidence of the time has ever been found to confirm this. Until, in recent weeks, during the construction of a tunnel connecting the Basilica of Agony and the Cedron Valley below, a surprise was found: a mikveh, a Jewish ritual bath from 2000 years ago. AMIT RE’EM Archaeologist Israel Antiquities Authorities "See the opening? It leads to a ladder that descends to the water. People had to purify themselves in structures like this before making oil or wine. For the first time we have clear archaeological evidence that there was something here at the time of Jesus. Not just something, but something related to olive trees, to oil production, and that's really the meaning of the ancient name of this place, "Gethsemane." So it all comes back, it's great, and we're very excited." Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm Custos of the Holy Land "Archaeology in this case is a confirmation of what tradition has transmitted from the biblical text. And when we have these three elements - biblical text, tradition and archaeology - we can say that we have elements of sufficient certainty to identify the place." But in the Cedron Valley the archaeological excavations - carried out by the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum of Jerusalem and the Israeli Authority for Antiquities, and illustrated during a press conference moderated by Brother Rosario Pierri, dean of the Studium - have also brought to light another treasure, hidden by the various layers of history: a Byzantine church, the medieval remains of a monastery or pilgrims' shelter together with some cisterns for collecting water, and finally the signs of the site's destruction in the 12th century. Br EUGENIO ALLIATA, ofm Archaeologist Studium Biblicum Franciscanum Jerusalem "At a certain point a new inscription was added to the floor of the church, which speaks of the offering of a faithful friend of Christ in memory of a person who had died, inspired by the sacrifice of Abraham, asking that his own sacrifice be accepted by God as that of Abraham. Certainly, even after the first Arab conquest, Christians continued to use the church, which had been restored, and to come to Jerusalem for a long time; indeed, many Christians lived in Jerusalem for many centuries." Thanks to the new tunnel, pilgrims - when they return - will be able to visit different places at the foot of the Mount of Olives through a single route, and admire the latest discoveries. Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm Custos of the Holy Land "The project is to build environments that are also at the service of pilgrims, including some chapel. Of course, all constructions will respect the archaeological findings." Read More