Considered to be the one of the most holy places in the Christian world (up there with the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem), this austere and somewhat underwhelming space was part of the Holy Zion church built in 390 CE. Retained in the 14th century Crusader structure that replaced the original church, it was converted to a mosque during the Ottoman period and retains stained glass and a mihrab from that time.
Also known as the Coenaculum (Latin for dining hall) or Cenacle (derived from cena, Latin for supper), the room is highly unlikely to have hosted the Last Supper but may have been the place where the disciples are said to have received the Holy Spirit on the Pentecost and started speaking in ‘foreign tongues’ (Acts 2). The event culminated with the baptism of 3000 followers of Jesus, marking the birth of Christianity.
The room is reached via a stairway that leads up to a reception atrium. To find this, walk towards the main complex and take the first staircase on the left after the carved arch. It can also be reached via another staircase leading from the courtyard in front of the Franciscan Monastery, near King David's Tomb.
