The Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Latin: Ecclesia Sancti Sepulchri) is
a church in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. The church
contains, according to traditions dating back to at least the fourth century,
the two holiest sites in Christianity: the site where Jesus was crucified, at
a place known as Calvary or Golgotha, and Jesus's empty tomb, where he is said
to have been buried and resurrected. The tomb is enclosed by a 19th-century
shrine called the Aedicula.
Within the church proper are the last four (or, by some definitions, five)
stations of the Via Dolorosa, representing the final episodes of the Passion
of Jesus. The church has been a major Christian pilgrimage destination since
its creation in the fourth century, as the traditional site of the
resurrection of Christ, thus its original Greek name, Church of the Anastasis
('Resurrection').
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Parvis (courtyard).
The courtyard facing the entrance to the church is known as the parvis.
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Two streets open into the parvis: St Helena Road (west) and Suq
ed-Dabbagha (east).
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The 'immovable ladder' stands beneath a window (top right) on the
facade.
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Facade and entrance.
The wooden doors that compose the main entrance are the original, highly
carved arched doors.
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Today, only the left-hand entrance is currently accessible, as the
right doorway has long since been bricked up.
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The entrance to the church is in the south transept, through the
crusader façade, in the parvis of a larger courtyard.
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Climbing the stairs towards the Calvary (Golgotha).
Just inside the church entrance is a stairway leading up to Calvary
(Golgotha), traditionally regarded as the site of Jesus' crucifixion and
the most lavishly decorated part of the church.
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The exit is via another stairway opposite the first, leading down to
the ambulatory.
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Golgotha and its chapels are just south of the main altar of the
catholicon.
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Altar of the Crucifixion.
Calvary is split into two chapels, one Greek Orthodox and one Catholic,
each with its own altar.
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On the left (north) side, the Greek Orthodox chapel's altar is placed
over the rock of Calvary (the 12th Station of the Cross), which can be
touched through a hole in the floor beneath the altar.
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The Rock of Calvary (bottom) can be seen under protective glass on
both sides of the altar. The softer surrounding stone was removed when
the church was built.
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Chapel of the Nailing of the Cross.
The Roman Catholic (Franciscan) Chapel of the Nailing of the Cross (11th
Station of the Cross) stretches to the south.
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Between the Catholic and the Orthodox altar, a statue of Mary with an
18th-century bust marks the 13th Station of the Cross.
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Stone of Anointing seen from the Calvary (Golgotha).
Just inside the entrance to the church is the Stone of Anointing (also
Stone of the Anointing or Stone of Unction), which tradition believes to
be where Jesus' body was prepared for burial by Joseph of Arimathea,
though this tradition is only attested since the crusader era, and the
present stone was only added in the 1810 reconstruction.
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Stone of Anointing.
The Stone of Anointing, where Jesus' body is said to have been anointed
before burial.
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Believers pour aromatic oils on the stone and then soak handkerchiefs
and fabric Bible covers in these oils.
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Armenian Shrine.
West to the Anointing stone is a small Armenian shrine.
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Entering the Rotunda and Aedicule.
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Rotunda and Aedicule.
The rotunda is the building of the larger dome located on the far west
side.
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In the centre of the rotunda is a small chapel called the
Kouvouklion in Greek or the Aedicula in Latin, which
encloses the Holy Sepulchre.
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The Aedicule has two rooms, the first holding the Angel's Stone, which
is believed to be a fragment of the large stone that sealed the tomb;
the second is the tomb of Jesus./li>
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Possibly due to the fact that pilgrims laid their hands on the tomb or
to prevent eager pilgrims from removing bits of the original rock as
souvenirs, a marble plaque was placed in the fourteenth century on the
tomb to prevent further damage to the tomb.
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Entering the Syriac Chapel with Tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.
It is accessed from the Rotunda, by a door west of the Aedicule.
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On the far side of the chapel is the low entrance to an almost
complete 1st-century Jewish tomb, initially holding six kokh-type
funeral shafts radiating from a central chamber, two of which are
still exposed.
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Inside the Syriac Chapel with Tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.
Although this space was discovered relatively recently and contains no
identifying marks, some believe that Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus
were buried here.
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Chapel of Saint Helena.
The Chapel of Saint Helena is a 12th-century Armenian church in the
lower level of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem,
constructed during the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
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In the southeast of the chapel there is a chair which was reputed to
be a seat that was sat in by Helena, the mother of the Emperor
Constantine when she was looking for the True Cross.
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There are two apses in the church, one dedicated to Saint Helena and
one to the penitent thief on the cross.
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Going down to the Chapel of the Invention of the Holy Cross.
Another set of 22 stairs from the Chapel of Saint Helena leads down to
the Roman Catholic Chapel of the Invention of the Holy Cross, believed
to be the place where the True Cross was found.
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Inside the Chapel of the Invention of the Holy Cross.
Under emperor Constantine, around 327, Macarius, Bishop of Jerusalem,
caused excavations to be made in order to ascertain the location of
Calvary as well as that of the Holy Sepulchre.
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It was in the course of these excavations that the wood of the Cross
was recovered.
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It was determined by Macarius to be authentic (the crosses of the Two
Thieves were also recovered) and for it Constantine built the Basilica
of the Holy Sepulchre.
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Entrance to the Chapel of Adam.
On the ground floor, just underneath the Golgotha chapel, is the Chapel
of Adam.
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According to tradition, Jesus was crucified over the place where
Adam's skull was buried.
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According to some, the blood of Christ ran down the cross and through
the rocks to fill Adam's skull.
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Window inside the Chapel of Adam.
Through a window at the back of the 11th-century apse, the rock of
Calvary can be seen with a crack traditionally held to be caused by the
earthquake that followed Jesus' death.
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Some scholars claim it is the result of quarrying against a natural
flaw in the rock.
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Mosque of Omar.
Minaret of the Mosque next to the courtyard of the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre.
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The Ayyubid Mosque of Omar is an Islamic place of worship inside the
Old City of Jerusalem. It is located opposite the southern courtyard
of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in the Muristan area of the
Christian Quarter.
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See more at
Mosque of Omar (Jerusalem) - Wikipedia.
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Pedestrian path between the Holy Sepulchre and the New Gate.
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New Gate.
The New Gate (Arabic: Bāb ij-Jdïd) (Hebrew:
HaSha'ar HeChadash) is the newest gate in the walls that surround
the Old City of Jerusalem.
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It was built in 1889 to provide direct access between the Christian
Quarter and the new neighborhoods then going up outside the walls.
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See also
Sources
Location
