Pools of Bethesda, Jerusalem

Just beside the serene Saint Anne’s Church, history takes a sharp turn underground. Here lie the Pools of Bethesda, built around 200 BC to supply water to the Temple-practical infrastructure with a spiritual reputation. According to the Gospel of Saint John, these waters were believed to heal, and it’s here that Jesus is said to have cured a man who had been ill for 38 years. Not bad credentials for a water system...

Archaeology fills in the background details. Excavations uncovered the remains of five porticoes, matching the biblical description, along with nearby caves that the Romans converted into bathing areas. In Roman times, this was less a quiet sanctuary and more a full-scale healing complex, crowded with people hoping the waters might change their fortunes. The Romans later added their own layer, constructing a 3rd-century temple dedicated to Serapis (the god of the underworld, healing, fertility, and the heavens), which was eventually replaced by a Byzantine basilica-because in Jerusalem, even sacred real estate gets reused.

Today, a raised walkway lets you circle the pools and peer down into centuries of engineering, ritual, and belief. You can descend into a Roman cistern, trace the outlines of walls and arches, and see how one site absorbed pagan worship, Christian tradition, and urban infrastructure without ever fully pressing reset. A detailed plan helps keep the centuries straight.

There’s also a small on-site museum displaying finds from the excavations-quiet, modest, and usually open only by appointment. But even without it, the Pools of Bethesda tell their story clearly enough: a place where water, faith, and history have been flowing together for more than two thousand years.