As a Catholic pilgrim, I made sure I had time to make multiple trips and a chance to linger. There are many places for quiet prayer despite the number of people who are inside the church.
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 5751 traveler reviewsNew
“A spiritual experience even if you are not religious”
One of the holiest places in the world offers a serene and uplifting experience even for non-religious. We visited once in the morning and the queue to the tomb was 2-3 hours wait. The church was packed and we just could not wait to get out. The following day we went around 1.30-2pm and the experience...
MoreOne of the holiest places in the world offers a serene and uplifting experience even for non-religious. We visited once in the morning and the queue to the tomb was 2-3 hours wait. The church was packed and we just could not wait to get out. The following day we went around 1.30-2pm and the experience was completely different. There was no queue to the annointing stone, you could actually see the entire church and walk in to the cave with the tomb. We could even light candles at the grave. We figured out that most guided tours go off to lunch between 1.30pm and 2.30pm. In my opinion that is the time you should aim to be there if you want a pleasant and spiritual experience.
LessNew
“Make sure you have time to linger”
New
“Three Hour Queues”
Yes you have to visit this Church when visiting Jerusalem but if you really want to go deep inside to look at the Holy Sepulchre be prepared for a long long line up. Crowds of unrestrained viewers made this an unpleasant experience which was not worth the wait.