This is where the Antonia Fortress stood, which housed the Roman guard. This is why the site is connected to Jesus’ trial by the Roman procurator Pontius Pilate. During the Ottoman Period the fortress housed a barracks, prison and government seat, and tribunals were held here.
The Al Omaria School in the Via Dolorosa
Photo: Ron Peled
For the Christian faithful there is some support for the historical connection and the belief that Jesus was tried here. The steps Jesus used to descend from the location of his trial to the street were sent to Rome during the 4th century to the Scala Sancta Church – the Church of the Holy Steps.
Today this is the site of the Al-Omariya School for Boys. Friday afternoons a Franciscan procession
leaves from here, which continues down the length of the Via Dolorosa.
