npr.org

If there’s one building in Jerusalem that represents the tangle of religions in this city, this is it. The ground floor is a Jewish holy site said to house the tomb of the biblical King David. The second floor is the Cenacle, a Christian holy site, the room believed to be the site of Jesus’ Last Supper. On the roof, there’s an old minaret from when this place was marked a Muslim holy site. One building, three religions, decades of property disputes. And the fight isn’t over.

Shimon Gibson, an archaeologist from London who has excavated sites connected to Jesus’ final week, says he believes the Last Supper - and the burial of King David - happened in other parts of the city. Still, Jews, Christians and Muslims venerate this site.

The building was destroyed and rebuilt a few times over. The original Byzantine church was replaced by the Crusaders.

“You can see pilgrims have left their names on the walls,” Gibson notes.

Later it was taken over by Muslim Mamluks.

The place is so essential, so much an integral part of the Christian narrative. Needless to say, it’s a dream that we could pray there in regular fashion like other holy places.

“You can see a mihrab, indicating that at one point this chapel was once a mosque,” Gibson says.

Catholic Franciscan friars took custody in the 14th century; 200 years later, they were kicked out by the Ottoman sultan. After the 1967 Mideast war, Israel took control.

Israeli authorities have wanted to avoid allowing the Vatican to administer any kind of authority over a site that today isn’t under the control of the Holy See. So Israel limits organized Christian prayers here to just a few times a year. There are no crosses on the wall; no chapel. Groups of pilgrims from around the world shuffle in, take snapshots and shuffle out. Sometimes stray cats wander around.