The Holy Sepulchre Church

“Do not be afraid, He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay” (Matthew 28:6).

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the highly venerated but also disputed site of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus with many differing opinions regarding the authenticity of the sites. It is one of the most puzzling buildings in the Land and has been badly treated throughout the history of its existence.

In 135, Emperor Hadrian built a pagan city on the site of Jerusalem. He also built a Capitol temple dedicated to Jupiter where the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre stands today.

Throughout the history of the church, mighty emperors replaced each other until ascension of Constantine the Great, the Emperor of Rome from 306 to 337 AD. He was very tolerant towards Christianity and presided over the Christian Council of Nicaea in 325 AD where he was asked to restore the Holy Places in Palestine. Constantine had the temple of Venus in Jerusalem demolished to make way for building of a Christian shrine. While clearing the area, a tomb was discovered which was believed to be the tomb of Jesus. The construction of the church began 326 AD and Constantine was present at the dedication. His mother, Helena, arrived in 326 AD. The discovery of the Cross of Jesus during the building of the Church was attributed to her later in the century.

During the Persian conquest in 614 AD, the church was badly damaged and they seized the Cross from the Holy Sepulchre Church and carried it to their capital at Ctesiphon. By the 628 AD, Emperor Heracles had freed the lost provinces of Palestine but not for long.  Although the Arabs revered it as a holy site, a very radical Egyptian Fatimid caliph, Al-Khakim, ordered the church’s destruction in 1009.

The current building was restored and extended over a period of fifty years (1099-1149) during the Crusader period. Several different Christian denominations share ownership of the Church, including the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Latin Catholic church (presented by the Franciscans), as well as Coptic, Ethiopian and Syrian Jacobite churches.

The excavations of ruins at the site were carried out by renowned British archaeologist Dame Kathleen Kenyon and many others. Dr Ute Lux excavated a nearby area and proved where the present church stands is outside the first century city boundaries.  The location of the present church was probably brought within the city walls around 40 - 44 AD, when Herod Agrippa, the last king of Judea, enlarged Jerusalem’s borders and built additional city walls. In the 19th century, the authenticity of the Holy Sepulchre site began to be disputed. 

In our time, The New Testament narrative is considered by many scholars as a literary-historical source.  Apart the Gospels, there are just a few written historical documents describing Jesus from Nazareth and events of His life.

The Gospel tells us that "they took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha." (John 19:17)

That place "where Jesus was crucified was near the city..." (John 19:20) or as Apostle Paul later confirms:

"Therefore, Jesus also that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate" (Heb.13:12).

While Jesus was carrying the cross, “He came to a place called Calvary, and Golgotha (in Hebrew); there they crucified Him" (Luke 23:33).

Golgotha (Goolgolet in Aramaic) means skull and among all four Gospel accounts, there is no discrepancy regarding the location of the Crucifixion. John adds to this that the place "was near the city" (John 19:20). Apostle Paul’s epistles are among the oldest in the New Testament and he adds that Jesus “suffered outside the city gate” (Hebrews 13:12).

According to the Gospel of John, "In this place there was a garden, and in this garden a new tomb in which no one had been yet buried" (John 19:41).

The tomb, according to the description was a typical 1st century CE Jewish tomb hewn into the rock and closed by a rolling stone. The style of this burial place was known as an acrosolium.

“This tomb belonged to certain rich man, a secret disciple of Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea” (Matthew 27:60).

Joseph of Arimathea was an influential man who was a member of the Sanhedrin. He negotiated with the Roman prefect Pontius Pilate and obtained permission to bury Jesus. According to the Gospel of John, only the burial site and the tomb of a wealthy Joseph of Arimathea was near or at the same site where Jesus was crucified and there was a garden there.

The testimony of the Gospels and the excavations agree with each other (more or less). It is important to remember that no excavation could positively prove that the sites of Golgotha and of the Tomb are authentic. It shows, at least, that they may possibly be authentic. 

 There is a detailed account of the sites of the Resurrection and of Golgotha given by Eusebius, the ancient Church historian. He records all traces of Hadrian’s Temple which had been dedicated to pagan gods were removed and perhaps the motivation for Constantine’s order "to erect a house of prayer worthy of God".

The little mound known as Calvary was covered by a shrine. During the reign of pagan emperor Hadrian stood a shrine in honor of Aphrodite.

In 1990, the area was excavated by Professor George Labbas from the University of Thessaloniki. Now, the rock is exposed behind the glass.

 In 638, the Moslems took over Jerusalem. According to the historical narrative, Patriarch Sophronius refused to surrender unless it was to Caliph Omar in person. The latter agreed and arrived shortly after the request. He deliberately refused to pray inside the Holy Sepulchre Church because he did not want his supporters to turn the Christian holy site into a mosque.

Omar demonstrated a pattern of religious tolerance and acceptance and issued a decree:

"In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate: This is the writing of Omar son of Khattab to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I affirm you that you (Christians) will have absolute security for your lives, your property and your churches; and that they will not be inhabited by the Muslims, nor destroyed, unless you should rebel against us."

In the year 746 AD there was a strong earthquake and then another one in 810 AD, both severely damaged the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Later in 1009 AD, a fanatical Caliph Al-Khakim from Egypt cause even more harm and ordered the total destruction of the Holy Sepulchre; thus ended the period of Muslim tolerance towards Christians in Palestine.

The Crusaders came from Europe to free the Tomb of the Lord and entered Jerusalem under Geoffrey de Bouillon on 15 July 1099.

They massacred the whole population of the city and later began an extensive reconstruction of the Holy Sepulchre Church. The new Church was consecrated in 1149 and has remained intact today.

In July 1187, the Crusaders' control of the region was ended by Saladin's victory in the battle at the Horns of Khattin. Eventually, Saladin arrived in Jerusalem and his army occupied all the holy places.

He locked the doors of the Holy Sepulchre for three days, removed the bells and installed a Moslem doorkeeper. from the towers. Saladin ordered that no single Christian religious community have ultimate authority in the Church and the decree remains status quo to the present day. Saladin granted permission for Greek clergy to return to the Holy Sepulchre Church. Later, a treaty was secured to allow the passage of the pilgrims from the West but they were heavily taxed by the Moslem authorities.

Saladin, the victor over the Crusaders, was a Kurd and he shared rule over his vast realm with his numerous brothers, cousins and sons. Each was given the title of sultan and the most powerful of them were in Egypt.

The Egyptian sultans relied heavily on their primary military force, the Mamluks who were nomads from the Kipchaq steppes. They were captured or recruited as slaves then freed after their training and conversion to Islam.

The Mamluks seized power in Egypt in the 13th century and the title of the sultan became elective among them. Their dynasty lasted until Turkish Ottoman conquest in 1517.

In 1226, according to reports, Moslem custodians presided over every Christian procession to the church (continues to the present day). A horrible tragedy occurred when one of these processions was attacked, and all were massacred by the Khwarismian Turks. Then there were numerous wars with the French army of Louis IX which was defeated.  Mongols invaded the Near East and restored order which allowed pilgrims to visit the Holy places again.

In the 14th century, the Franciscans obtained control of some of the Holy places of the Church and their authority continues to this day. Since the Turkish Ottoman conquest, the new authorities established specific conditions which are known as status quo ante bellum (the state of things before the war). The clergy of the Greek Orthodox Church clergy enjoyed more privileges from the authorities compared with other religious groups such as the Latins who were represented by Venice then later by France (frequently at war with the Ottomans). These groups were refused rights to the Church.

The Franciscans were ejected from the church at the site of Last Supper Room and a mosque was built instead.  In 1662, the Greek Orthodox Church clergy was reorganized into the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre. Later in the 17th century, due to diplomatic effort, balance was restored and the rights of the Franciscans were confirmed in their claim of Calvary and of the Holy Sepulchre. In 1774, Russia was a newly emerging world power after a series of wars with Turkey and they assumed protection over Orthodox holy places.

Following a series of European wars and changing ruling powers over Jerusalem, the State of Israel continues to observe status quo ante bellum over the holy places in the Holy Sepulchre Church. Today the territory and the holy places of the Church are divided among six Christian denominations: Greek Orthodox, Latin Catholic, Armenian Apostolic, Coptic, Ethiopian and Syrian Orthodox.

 A very small doorway leads to the Holy Sepulchre church from the area of the Arab market (Suq ed-Dabbaha, Muristan). In the paved courtyard in front of the entrance to the church, the bases of the columns (drums) are clearly seen.

Once, these columns supported portico that was later destroyed.

On the left are three chapels (apses) of the Greek Orthodox Church: St James, St.John's and Forty Martyrs. On the right is the Greek Monastery of Abraham and the Chapel of Abraham on top of Calvary. Together, these sites commemorate the binding of Isaak; a foreshadowing of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Golgotha.

There are two large entrances into the church. On the right the door was walled by Saladin upon his return to Jerusalem after defeating the Crusaders. Since 1246, two Muslim families have been custodians of the entrance to the church. Typically, they sit on the bench to the left of the entrance. The church opens at 4:00 a.m. and closes its gates at 8:00 p.m.

There is a stairway on the right side which leads to a small structure with large glass windows. which leads to the Chapel of our Lady of Sorrows, also called the Frankish chapel. The small blue door underneath has an engraving of the cross and is the entrance to the Chapel of St. Mary of Egypt which commemorates her repentance and conversion.

 "They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha" (John 19:17).

On the right side of the entrance to the church, there is a staircase that leads to the upper floor where Calvary is found. An alternative name is Golgotha, derived from the Aramaic language, which means a skull. It is possible the rock resembles a skull or simply the head (top) of the rock.

The upper Chapel of Calvary is a small area that is divided between the Greek Church on the left and the Roman Catholic Church on the right. 

The Catholic altar is called Our Lady of Sorrows and was a gift of the famous Ferdinand of Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. It was created by Dominic Portigani in 1588 and was originally intended to be the altar of the Stone of Unction (Anointing).

The statue of Mary between the Greek Orthodox and Catholic chapels shows a sword piercing her heart to symbolize the fulfillment of righteous Simeon's prophecy to Mary:

“Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed - and a sword will pierce even your own soul - to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:2:35).