The Last Supper is probably one of the best-known Biblical events of world history and yet not many people are clear on where the event was held.

The ‘Last Supper room’ is known as the CENACLE, which is derived from the Latin coenaculum and means ‘dining hall’. It was here that all the apostles were raised to priesthood, where Jesus gave his last discourse and where Jesus appeared to the disciples after his ascension into heaven.

Throughout the years, the hallowed room has been destroyed and rebuilt many times over. After surviving the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD, the room (then used as a church) was renovated by John II in the 4th century. In 614AD it was completely destroyed by Persian invaders and was later reconstructed by a monk called Modestus.

During the Crusades the building was razed to the ground by Muslims and replaced by the Crusaders with a huge basilica. From 1333, Franciscan monks took care of the CENACLE until 1552 when the Turks captured Jerusalem and banished all Christians. The CENACLE then became a mosque and it wasn’t until 1948 that Christians were again permitted to enter.

These days, the religiously and historically significant room is approximately 50ft in length and 30ft in breadth. As the picture (inset) shows, it now has a Gothic flavour with high arches and pillars.