In the Kidron valley, beside Gethsemane and at the foot of the Mount of Olives, an unremarkable stone façade opens onto one of the most striking interiors in Jerusalem. A wide staircase, worn smooth by centuries of use, descends into the rock towards a subterranean church where the air is heavy with incense and lamplight. At the bottom stands the rock-cut chamber venerated as the tomb of the Virgin Mary, surrounded by hanging lamps, icons and offerings. The church is served principally by the Greek Orthodox and Armenian communities, with other traditions holding rights within it, and it is also visited by Muslims, for whom Mary is a revered figure — an unusually clear illustration of how sanctuaries in Jerusalem are shared rather than owned. The film exploits the extraordinary photographic conditions of the descent: daylight at the entrance, the gradual fall into darkness, the glitter of metal and glass in a space lit almost entirely by flame. Around it, the valley, the ancient tombs and the walls of the Old City complete a portrait of Jerusalem's most densely sacred ground.
