Olive trees of Gethsemane are “witnesses of the Passion”

The trunk and the roots of the eight olive trees growing in the Garden of Gethsemane, near the Basilica of Agony, in the place where Jesus sweated blood and was arrested, all have the same DNA and so did not grow from different seeds but were born from one already existing plant. 

These are the findings of the study supported by the Custody of the Holy Land, and presented at a press conference this morning in Rome by the Custodian of the Holy Land, Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa.
 
The research was carried out over three years and was conducted by a team of researchers from the National Research Council (CNR), and various Italian universities. The project was led by Dr. Antonio Cimato of the Tree and Timber Institute (Ivalsa) / CNR, in Florence and Professor Giovanni Gianfrate, of the cultural association “Coltiviamo la pace” (Let's cultivate peace), in Florence. 

Radiocarbon dating dates the trees back to the 12^th century (1092-1198) so it is clear the garden was being re-arranged during the Crusades. These plants are therefore ancient and at least a thousand years old.
 
But what attracted the scholars’ attention the most was the fact that the olive trees have the same genetic profile. Portions of quite large branches (branch cuttings), at least a metre long, taken from a single plant which must have been quite large and had at least nine large branches (one died and eight have survived) were planted in the garden, giving birth to eight olive trees which are all "children" of a single specimen. 

Since the distance between each olive tree does not match the criteria used in the Middle Ages, the olive trees could have even been planted before the era of the Crusades.
 
The Mount of Olives has been called this way since the 3^rd century BC and was covered in olive trees. When these are cultivated they do not grow into bushes rather than trees. 

It is likely that one of these plants was the subject of particular worship as it is clear that special efforts were made to keep it alive by planting its most robust branches. 

The fact that this tree was therefore much older and that so much care went into preserving it could mean it “witnesses” the start of Jesus’ Passion.
 
The results of the research show the trees are healthy. The custody of the Holy Land now has all the information it needs to ensure the olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane are preserved in the best way possible.