Church of the Holy Sepulchre (335 AD)

Church of the Holy Sepulchre, is built on the traditional site of Jesus’ Crucifixion and burial. According to the Bible, his tomb was close to the place of the Crucifixion (John 19:41–42), and so the church was planned to enclose the site of both the cross and the tomb.

Both Calvary ( Golgotha ) and the Tomb of Christ were isolated by cutting away the surrounding rock and earth, making them free-standing blocks.

Within the church proper are the last 5 stations of the Via Dolorosa, representing the final episodes of the Passion of Jesus.

Brief History

In 312 AD, after Constantine the Great converted to Christianity, he sent his mother Helena to Jerusalem to look for Christ’s Tomb.  
Helena found 3 crosses near to a tomb, which believed to be the Calvary and Christ’s Tomb.

A church was constructed over the two sites : an enclosed colonnaded atrium with the Calvary in one corner, and a rotunda called Anastasis where Jesus have been buried.  The Church was consecrated on 13^th September 335.

Since then, the church underwent many damages and rebuilding.  It was destroyed by the Persian, damaged in earthquakes and fires.  Restorations and reconstruction were carried out by Emperor Heraclius, and Patriach Thomas.  Despite being captured by the Muslims, it remained a Christian church. 

On 18^th October 1009,  Fatimid Caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah ordered the complete destruction of the Church.  In 1048, after given permission by the Muslilms, it was rebuilt by Byzantine emperor Constantine IX Monomachus, but on a different plan, with the entrance on the south side. 

Jerusalem was captured by the Christians during the First Crusade (1096-1099).  The Church was restored and all the small chapels were placed under one roof. It was reconsecrated on 15^th July 1149.

Over 3 centuries, the Church has been changing hand between the Crusaders and the Muslims, till Jerusalem fell to the hands of the Ottoman Empire.

Calvary

Inside the church entrance is a stairway leading up to Calvary (Golgotha), the most lavishly decorated part of the church.

Calvary is split into two chapels, one Greek Orthodox and one Catholic, each with its own altar. On the left (north) side, the Greek Orthodox chapel's altar is placed over the rock of Calvary. The rock can be seen under protective glass on both sides of the altar. The softer surrounding stone was removed when the church was built.

 

On the ground floor, just underneath the Golgotha chapel, is the Chapel of Adam.  According to tradition, Jesus was crucified over the place where Adam's skull was buried.

Behind the Chapel of Adam is the Museum of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, which holds many relics, including a 12th-century crystal mitre alleged to have once held a fragment of the Holy Cross.

Stone of Anointing

The Stone of Anointing, where Jesus' body is said to have been anointed before burial.

Just inside the entrance to the church is the Stone of Anointing, which tradition believes to be where Jesus' body was prepared for burial by Joseph of Arimathea.

Christ’s Tomb

In the centre of the rotunda is a small chapel which encloses the Holy Sepulchre. The Chapel holds the Angel's Stone, which is believed to be a fragment of the large stone that sealed the tomb; and the tomb of Jesus.

West of the Chapel is the Chapel with Tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.

  

Debate

This site has been continuously recognized since the 4th century as the place where Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the dead.

Whether it is the actual location, however, has been hotly debated. It cannot be determined that Christians during the first 3 centuries could or did preserve an authentic tradition as to where these events occurred.

Members of the Christian church in Jerusalem fled to Pella about 66 AD, and Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD.

Wars, destruction, and confusion during the following centuries possibly prevented preservation of exact information.

Another question involves the course of the second north wall of ancient Jerusalem. Some archaeological remains on the east and south sides of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre are widely interpreted to mark the course of the second wall. If so, the site of the church lay just outside the city wall in the time of Jesus, and this could be the actual place of his Crucifixion and burial. No rival site is supported by any real evidence.