The Church of the Holy Sepulchre
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is the most sacred site in the world for millions of Christians. This if the site of the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus. The church was built during the 4th century by the Emperor Constantine, who accepted Christianity and made it the official religion of the Roman Empire. His mother, Saint Helena, toured the Holy Land and identified the sites in which the events mentioned in the New Testament took place. Helena identified this place as the Calvary, where Jesus was crucified. She also identified the burial plot of Joseph of Arimathea, who facilitated Jesus’ burial after he was taken down from the cross. Lying within the boundaries of the church are the last stations in Jesus’ Way of Grief- from the 9th to the 14th station.
Many changes took place in the church over the years, and it was formed into its current shape during the crusader era. During its early days in the Byzantine era, it was larger and known as “The Resurrection Church”, commemorating Jesus’ rise from the dead.
During the 13th century, the responsibility for opening the church and keeping the church’s keys was given to two Muslim families, and they are still, to this day, responsible for the church’s keys and its opening at dawn and closure at sunset. Most of the compound is held by the Catholic Church, the Armenian Church and the Greek Orthodox Church, with limited rights to the Syrian and Coptic Churches.
During the 19th century a status-quo agreement was signed between the various communities, defining the rights of prayer and ownership for the different communities involved in the church.
The church façade was designed during the crusader area. In the past, on top of the entrance arches, there were lintels decorated with crusader embossments. They are currently in the custodianship of the Rockefeller Museum. The bell tower on the left side was also built during the crusader era. For many of the tourists visiting this place, this is the highlight of their visit to the Holy Land.
Photos courtesy of the Ministry of Tourism, by Noam Chen
TripAdvisor Reviews
Based on 6249 traveler reviews
To many Catholics the Holy Sepulchre is the Holy Grail but I am not Catholic and do not see it in the same light. I did find the church beautiful with its amazing mosaic tiles and fresco ceilings, that alone makes the visit well worth your time. It is pretty crowded so...
MoreTo many Catholics the Holy Sepulchre is the Holy Grail but I am not Catholic and do not see it in the same light. I did find the church beautiful with its amazing mosaic tiles and fresco ceilings, that alone makes the visit well worth your time. It is pretty crowded so plan accordingly. Also, my visit was at night shortly before closing. I highly recommend staying after exiting to watch the closing ceremony. The key to lock the door from the outside has been held by the same two Muslim families for over 800+ years. One family is the keeper of the keys, the other is given the key (2x day) to open and close the doors, afterwards they return the key. Interesting.
LessA must for pilgrims all over the world. Great experience visiting the temple where you can see the spot where the Golgota was located and where it is believed Christ sepulcre was located. I strongly recommend to visit the church with the guidance of a priest or a franciscan Frey because they will be...
MoreA must for pilgrims all over the world. Great experience visiting the temple where you can see the spot where the Golgota was located and where it is believed Christ sepulcre was located. I strongly recommend to visit the church with the guidance of a priest or a franciscan Frey because they will be able to explain in detail the story behind every image, spot, or at least, to buy a good travelers guide that give a good explanation to understand the temple and how it is shared by catholics, and orthodox christians. It was not so crowed which surprised me. I visit it with young kids, it is safe.
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Again, this is similar to the Way of the Cross experience with the noise and crowds and marketplace affecting your experience, but this is even more sacred but the crowding greatly affects the whole experience here. You can have the moments, but it is very challenging. It is a shame, but the...
MoreAgain, this is similar to the Way of the Cross experience with the noise and crowds and marketplace affecting your experience, but this is even more sacred but the crowding greatly affects the whole experience here. You can have the moments, but it is very challenging. It is a shame, but the only solution is to know ahead and plan differently or to research, read reviews and plan accordingly by choice. Think this one out, read all reviews here.
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