Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Old City of JerusalemAs I said in my Jerusalem page the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is the holiest site in Christianity. The church is located in the Old City of Jerusalem and has been a pilgrimage site for over 1,600 years. The site the church stands on includes Jesus’ burial place as well as the spot in which he was crucified. Unlike other historic religious sites – the Holy Sepulcher is agreed by most experts and archeologists to be the actual burial place of Jesus. 
The history of the place probably started with the first Christians who celebrated at the site after Christ’s resurrection and until the city was taken by the Romans. In 135 AD the Roman Emperor Hadrian built a temple to Aphrodite, on top of the burial site. In 312 AD Emperor Constantine the Great converted to Christianity. Excited about his new religion Constantine ordered to build several churches and the most important of those was this Church. The pagan temple was cleared and the church was built between 326-335 AD. It is believed that during the initial building of the church the Golgotha – or Calvary was found. The Golgotha is the place in which Jesus was crucified. 
The Edicule - tomb of Jesus The fate of the church’s structure until modern times wasn’t that great. It was ruined by a crazy Muslim ruler – caliph Hakim in 1009 AD. It was later on restored by the crusaders after they conquered Jerusalem. In 1808 the church was damaged by fire and again in 1927 by an earthquake. The three main Christian custodians of the church are the Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and the Armenian Apostolic churches. In 1959 those churches agreed on a major renovation plan that led to the way the church looks today. Due to the history of the church and the shared ownership by the above churches – the Church of the Holy Sepulcher has quite a unique look. It is somewhat of a mix between medieval/crusader/Byzantine styles that might look a little odd to you. It does to me anyway. However, I can totally see how a visit to this church can be extremely meaningful especially if you are a Christian. 
Women over the Stone of the Unction Inside the church you will find plenty of interesting sections including 5 of the Stations of the Cross. The main attractions are:
Take my advice and visit the church even if you aren’t a Christian (if you are I’m sure you will…) – it is quite an experience. Return from Church of the Holy Sepulcher to the Jerusalem page Return to the Home Page |