The Lions’ Gate (also called St. Stephen’s Gate or the Sheep Gate) is the eastern entrance to the Old City, facing the Mount of Olives across the Kidron Valley. The gate takes its name from the four carved lions (actually leopards, the heraldic symbol of the Mamluk Sultan Baybars) that adorn its facade. But its modern fame comes from a single day: June 7, 1967, when Israeli paratroopers charged through this gate to capture the Old City during the Six-Day War.
Six-Day War
On the morning of June 7, 1967, the 55th Paratroopers Brigade, commanded by Colonel Motta Gur, fought their way through the streets outside the Old City walls and reached the Lions’ Gate. Gur’s radio message, “The Temple Mount is in our hands” (Har HaBayit BeYadeinu), became one of the most famous phrases in Israeli history. The paratroopers streamed through the gate and reached the Western Wall, which Jews had been unable to visit for 19 years since Jordan captured the Old City in 1948. The photograph of three paratroopers standing at the Wall, looking up with expressions of awe and exhaustion, became the iconic image of the war.
Christian Connection
The Lions’ Gate is also significant for Christians. The gate stands near the traditional beginning of the Via Dolorosa, and it is identified by some traditions as the gate through which St. Stephen was led to his martyrdom, the first Christian killed for his faith (Acts 7:58). The gate also leads directly to the Pools of Bethesda and the Church of St. Anne.
Sheep Gate
In biblical times, the gate in this area was known as the Sheep Gate, where sheep were brought into the city for sacrifice at the Temple. The Book of Nehemiah describes its rebuilding after the Babylonian exile: “Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate” (Nehemiah 3:1). The proximity to the Pools of Bethesda, where animals may have been washed before sacrifice, supports the connection.
Visit with Hoshen Tours
The Lions’ Gate is where Christian pilgrimages through the Old City typically begin, and where the story of 1967 comes alive. Hoshen Tours uses the gate to connect the ancient and modern stories of Jerusalem.