Jerusalem is a pivotal symbol in Western literature, and it reflects not only the West’s own cultural, religious, and historical perspective but also different literary traditions and intercultural relations. From the 19th century to the present, the theme of Jerusalem in Western literature has been processed not only as the holy land of Christianity but also as a city that carries a deep meaning regarding the relations between the West and the East. After the 19th century, especially the Industrial Revolution, colonialism, and the evolution of religious ideas were also reflected in the literary representations of Jerusalem. This paper is prominent in terms of understanding the changes in the comprehension of Jerusalem in Western literature, comparing the meanings attributed to Jerusalem by various cultural and religious traditions, discovering how Jerusalem became a symbol in different literary traditions, and evaluating the social and individual effects of the holy city image in Western thought. In this context, the aim of this paper is to examine the themes of Jerusalem in Western literature from the 19th century to the present in a comparative manner with English, French, German, and American literature. In this paper, qualitative research, textual analysis, and comparative literature methods were used. The works of the selected 19th century and later writers on Jerusalem were examined, and comparisons were made between these works. According to the findings, in William Blake’s (1757-1827) work Jerusalem, Jerusalem is a figure that symbolizes the spiritual and cultural identity of England. While idealizing Jerusalem, Blake presents it as a city that symbolizes the spiritual awakening and social transformation of the English people. Especially in the 19th century, with the Romanticism movement, Jerusalem was used by English poets both as a sacred place and as a symbol of a westernized ideology. In this context, the West’s view of the East and the mystical appeal of Jerusalem in the eyes of Westerners are discussed. In François-René de Chateaubriand’s travelogue (1768-1848) Paris-Jerusalem Journey, Jerusalem is included as a symbolic part of a journey from the West to the East. Gustave Flaubert’s (1821-1880) travel notes, on the other hand, deal with Jerusalem from a more historical and realistic perspective. Jerusalem was not only a religious center for him but also a source of historical, artistic, and cultural inspiration. In French literature, Jerusalem was mostly considered both a sacred center associated with Christianity and a symbol of the cultural richness of the Middle East. In German literature, Jerusalem emerged as a symbol associated with Jewish identity and religious beliefs in Heinrich Heine’s (1797-1856) poems. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) presented Jerusalem as a religious value and an ideal intertwined with nature. German writers treated Jerusalem not only as a religious place but also as a prominent city in terms of the flowering of Western thought. In American literature, Herman Melville (1819-1891) treated Jerusalem as both a physical and spiritual destination in his work Clarel. In Mark Twain’s (1835-1910) work The Innocents Abroad, Jerusalem is portrayed from the humorous perspective of a Western observer filled with disappointment. In English literature, Jerusalem is often seen as a symbol of spiritual quest and cultural identity, while French literature depicts it as a romantic dream and a sacred city. In German literature, Jerusalem is more often depicted as a cultural and religious accumulation, while in American literature, it is depicted as a sacred goal. As a result, the representation of Jerusalem in Western literature reflects not only the historical and religious past of the West but also the cultural and ideological boundaries between the West and the East. The representation of Jerusalem is not limited to Western literature but can also be compared to Eastern literature. Courses that teach the literary representations of Jerusalem can help students better understand religious and cultural differences. This paper can contribute to the flourishing of a broader comprehension of spiritual and cultural representations of Jerusalem in Western literature.