The Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Photo: The Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Photo: The Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Photo: 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
The Holiest place for every Believer. It’s a sum of different faiths and you must visit it. It’s located of the end of the so called “via dolorosa” and once there you may find a lot of people, different languages and a lot of queues.nWe visited it in the morning but we had nor...
MoreThe Holiest place for every Believer. It’s a sum of different faiths and you must visit it. It’s located of the end of the so called “via dolorosa” and once there you may find a lot of people, different languages and a lot of queues.nWe visited it in the morning but we had nor enough time so we went back in the afternoon of the following day and we could appreciate much more as there’s less crowd. You cannot stay too much inside the tomb; there’s a monk who tell you to speed up!
LessThe Church is the shelter to Christ's crucifixion and burial sites. It protects the Golgotha rock where Jesus was nailed to his cross, died and also the place where he was buried before resuscitating. It has a very spiritual meaning to Christians, and the Middle Eastern vibe of the decorum makes it all the...
MoreThe Church is the shelter to Christ's crucifixion and burial sites. It protects the Golgotha rock where Jesus was nailed to his cross, died and also the place where he was buried before resuscitating. It has a very spiritual meaning to Christians, and the Middle Eastern vibe of the decorum makes it all the more so special. However, the way the place is administrated (you can read about it in any guidebook) means it's almost dereclit in places. It can also be very crowded and queues to visit the Tomb of Jesus can strech over an hour. Do not hesitate to come back at different hours of the day as the light can change the atmosphere quite drastically.
LessWe lucked out on our tour because when we visited there were hardly any people inside the church! Even our long time guide kept commenting on the small crowds. Very impressive religious site, most impressed by the slab of rock where Jesus was prepared for His burial. This place gave me the chills and...
MoreWe lucked out on our tour because when we visited there were hardly any people inside the church! Even our long time guide kept commenting on the small crowds. Very impressive religious site, most impressed by the slab of rock where Jesus was prepared for His burial. This place gave me the chills and I’m not a religious person. It just reeks of history!
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