Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Old City Jerusalem

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20 July 2010
1457 (GMT +3)
Jerusalem, Israel

No classes today, as today is a fasting day in Judaism called Tisha B’Av. I’ll admit that I had no idea about the relevance of this date, other than the convenience of not having to go to school, so I consulted the pinnacle of internet academia - Wikipedia. (Hopefully none of my professors are reading this.) According to Wikipedia, Tisha B’Av literally translates into the ninth day of the month of Av in the Hebrew calendar. This is a day of fasting that commemorates the destruction of both the First and Second Temples. Interestingly enough, it seems that the books of Lamentations and Job - perhaps two of the most depressing books in the Bible - are commonly read on this day.

In any event, since I have some time on my hands this morning, I thought I would take a few minutes to write about one of the more interesting sites in the Old City for me, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

As has been previously mentioned, the Holy Sepulchre is a church that was built over what is believed to be the site of Golgotha, the place where Jesus was crucified, and the tomb in which he was buried. The original church was built in 335 by the emperor Constantine on the counsel of his mother Helena, who spent a great deal of time in Palestine in an attempt to locate and identify holy sites from Jesus’ time. (It was also during this time that she is alleged to have found remnants of the True Cross.) The church was built over the site of a temple to Aphrodite built by the emperor Hadrian. (117-138).

I came across an interesting story about the second Muslim Caliph - Umar ibn al-Khattab - who captured Jerusalem in the mid 7th Century. After taking the city, he went to visit the Holy Sepulchre. After all, Jesus (or Issa in Arabic) is the second most revered prophet in Islam, after Muhammad. When prayer time rolled around, he left the site of the church to pray elsewhere. The story goes that he did not pray at the church because he did not want it to be replaced later with a mosque dedicated to him. So, he went to the south of the church and prayed. Today the Mosque of Umar still exists right across the street from the Holy Sepulchre.

The original church was destroyed in 1009 by the Fatimid sultan, and rebuilt by the Byzantines and Crusaders in the 12th Century. It has gone through several renovations in the last several hundred years after damage from fires and earthquakes.

The present church is located towards the northwestern area of the Old City, at the end of what is known as the Via Dolorosa, which is held to be the route that Jesus walked from the Praetorium - the court where Pilate condemned Jesus - to Golgotha. The route is dotted with fourteen ‘stations’ which mark specific events along the way, such as places where Jesus fell, where Simon of Cyrene was drafted to carry the cross, where Jesus was nailed to the cross, where he died, and the tomb in which he was laid. The last six stations are located within the church itself.

Now, there is a great deal of debate over whether or not this is the actual site of the crucifixion. There are some historical problems associated with this site, and other possibilities have been put forth, such as Gordon’s Calvary, just outside the Damascus Gate to the north. There are some things to consider, though. For example, though the church was built three hundred years after the event, it is possible that Helena had access to sources that no longer exist today. Think about it like this, we know today that Independence Hall in Philadelphia was the building where the Declaration of Independence was adopted. 234 years later, we still have all kinds of written documentation that supports this. Now imagine that it’s 2,000 years from now and people still recognize that building, but none of the primary sources exist. How are people to know if that is the actual site?

We are relatively certain about a few things, though. First, the crucifixion would not be held within the city itself. Executions were carried out outside the city. While the church is located within the present city walls, it is important to remember that that the walls that exist today were built in the 16th Century. It is possible that the site of the Holy Sepulchre could have been located outside of the city during the 1st Century. It also would have taken place somewhere public and visible, say, on a hillside. Crucifixion was a particularly heinous form of execution that was reserved for special types of criminals - such as those who would instigate rebellion - that was designed not only to eliminate the individual but to serve as a warning to others. (For example, after Herod the Great died in 4 BC, a Jewish revolt occurred in Judea against the Romans. The Roman general who was in charge of putting down the rebellion - Varus - had 2,000 rebels crucified in a single day, their crosses lining a major street.) This also fits with the current location of the church, which is built on a decline.

We also know that the location was somewhere near the city, and that the tomb where Jesus’ body was laid was near the site of the crucifixion. This is why everyone was in a hurry to get his body off of the cross and into the tomb before sundown, since this Passover Sabbath was approaching, and the law also forbid working on the Sabbath. So, according to tradition, Jesus was taken off the cross, laid on a stone where he was wrapped in a linen cloth, and then transferred into the tomb. (As a side note, this fit contemporary Jewish burial rituals of the era, but that’s for another time.) All of this must have occurred in the same general area.

Back to the church itself, I’ve found two fairly simple ways of getting to it. Once again, it can be quite confusing navigating the side streets of the Old City, so it is best to try to plan a route in advance. Getting to the Holy Sepulchre from the New Gate or the Jaffa Gate have given me the most success, and seem to be the most direct routes. For those who are interested in walking the Via Dolorosa, enter through the Lions Gate on the east side of the city. The first station is located on this street, and you can follow it all the way to the church. For those who prefer to wander, periodically you will see signs that point you in the direction of the church, but I am not sure how accurate they are, and I would not recommend using these as your sole means of navigation.

The entrance is on the south side of the church, where the street opens to a large square. If you’re coming from the Jaffa Gate, heading north on Christian Quarter Rd, take a right on Souk el-Dabbagha and the plaza will be on your left.

Inside the church there are plenty of things to see, but in the interest of brevity (too late, I fear) I will focus on three specific areas. Immediately inside the entrance, if you look to your right you will see a stone stairway leading up to a Greek Orthodox chapel which is believed to be the site of Golgotha itself. There is an elaborate altar, with glass where people can look and see the rock underneath. Directly below the chapel, on the ground level, there is another glass-enclosed spot where you can see the rock underneath, and the rock is stained red. I’ll let you make your own connections here.

Also directly inside the entrance, if you walk straight ahead instead of going up the stairs, you will see the Stone of Unction. This is a slab of stone on the floor where Jesus’ body was laid in preparation for burial. It seems to be a common practice for tourists and pilgrims to have their pictures taken touching and kissing the stone.

On the wall facing the stone is a large, three part mural which shows Jesus being removed from the cross, prepared for burial, and placed in the tomb.

Turn to your left and walk straight ahead and you will come to the tomb itself. It is located directly under the large rotunda and is encapsulated in a monument built in 1810. No matter what time you go, you are likely to find a line to get in. The only question is of the length. The tomb has only one way in and out, and the interior is so small that only two or three people can get in at one time. So, how long you wait often depends on how long it takes the people ahead of you to pray and take their pictures, though the priests who usher people in and out are pretty good about keeping things moving.

There are several other chapels and religious sites located within the church, such as the Chapel of Adam directly underneath Golgotha (There is another tradition that Jesus was crucified over the exact spot where the body of Adam was buried. Yes, that Adam. This is more of a theological issue than an historical issue, though) and the Chapel of St Helena, now under the control of the Armenians. One can definitely spend many hours wandering just the church itself. It’s definitely worth a walk through, at least.

-MG

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Photos

Stained Rock
On the ground level, directly under Golgotha.

Stone of Unction
Where it is believed Jesus' body was laid after being removed from the cross. This is where his body was prepared for burial.

Mural
Depicting three events: the removal of Jesus' body from the cross, preparing him for burial, and placing him in the tomb. From this angle - looking down from Golgotha - only the latter two are visible.

Mural (a)
The first part of this mural shows Jesus' family and followers removing him from the cross. A few things to notice: (my apologies for the glare) at the base of the cross you might be able to make out a skull and some bones. This represents the tradition that Christ was crucified atop of Adam's burial place. Also notice the people whose heads are illuminated. Obviously Jesus and Mary, and I'm guessing the older one is Joseph of Arimathaea, but who is the fourth? Could it be Jesus' brother, James? I don't know.

Christ's Tomb
Inside is the traditional location of the tomb in which Jesus' body was placed in the evening before the Passover Sabbath.

Crucifixion Mural
Just to the left of Christ's Tomb

Chapel of St Helena
Looking down the stairs, this is now under the control of the Armenians. Notice the mosaic on the floor.

Catholikon Dome
Rebuilt after suffering some damage in a 1927 earthquake.