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- Aramaic:
- āSkullā
- Also called:
- Calvary
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The Crucifixion with Saint Jerome and Saint Francis
The Crucifixion with Saint Jerome and Saint Francis, tempera on wood by Pesellino, probably c. 1440ā45; in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Golgotha
hill, Jerusalem
Also known as: Calvary
Golgotha, (from Latin calva: ābald headā or āskullā), skull-shaped hill in ancient Jerusalem, the site of Jesusā Crucifixion. It is referred to in all four Gospels (Matthew 27:33, Mark 15:22, Luke 23:33, and John 19:17). The hill of execution was outside the city walls of Jerusalem, apparently near a road and not far from the sepulchre where Jesus was buried. Its exact location is uncertain, but most scholars prefer either the spot now covered by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or a hillock called Gordonās Calvary just north of the Damascus Gate.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Melissa Petruzzello.
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