| The
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is also called the Church of the Resurrection
(Anastasis) by Eastern Christians, is built over the place that
many Christians believe was the location where Jesus was crucified, buried,
and rose again on Easter Sunday morning. The hill of Calvary where Jesus
was crucified on Good Friday was called Golgatha in Hebrew, which means
the place of the skull. Jesus was buried in a nearby rock cave and tomb
(also called a sepulchre) which had been hewn out of the rock. The early
Christians had marked the spot and prayed there. In 66 AD the Romans beseiged
Jerusalem and destroyed the city in 70 AD. Most of the survivors fled,
but a few remained or returned to pray at the holy sites.
cross-section diagram of
church built over the hill of Golgatha and the cave with the rock-hewn
sepulchre
In 132 the emperor Hadrian
refounded Jerusalem as a pagan Roman city and in 135 built a pagan shrine
at the place of the tomb. Eusebius (260-340 AD), an early church historian,
recalled that he had seen with his own eyes how the pagan temple had been
built over the cave which had served as the Lord's tomb (Life
of Constantine 3.26). Jerome, a Bible scholar
who lived in Bethlem in the 4th century, also later described how the pagan
temple had been built on top of the site after it had been filled in and
paved over:
"On the rock of
the cross a statue of Venus made of marble was venerated by the pagans"
(Ep.58.3).
The Emperor Constantine (274-337
AD) removed the pagan temple and built the first church on the site sometime
between 326-335. It was a large basilica called the Church of the Resurrection,
which was dedicated in 335. Thousands of pilgrims came to Jerusalem, especially
during Holy Week each year.
Cyril of Jerusalem (315-386),
an influential early church theologian and bishop who lived most of his
life in Jerusalem, was very familiar with the site of Golgatha and tomb
of Christ. He testified that the builders of the Church of the Resurrection
had left enough of the original rock of Golgatha visible for people to
view:
"Golgatha here,
the pre-eminent, which is still visible today and still shows how the rocks
were split because of Christ that day [Matthew 27:51-54];
by the grave nearby, where he was laid; by the stone which was placed over
the door, and still lies next to the tomb today..." (Catechesis 13:39).
The Church of the Resurrection
was damaged by fire in 614 and restored in 630. It was destroyed in 1009/10
by Caliph Hakim of Egypt, and partially restored in 1048 during the reign
of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine Monomachus. Between 1144-49 the Crusaders
rebuilt and enlarged the church. It has been renovated a few times over
the last few centuries. This church is the most sacred place for Christians
in Jerusalem.
[floor plan of 4th century
church - see next
page for more details.]
dome with mosaic of Christ
Ruler of All over the Greek
Orthodox altar
entrance to the Holy Sepulchre
See also | Jesus'
Entombment | Holy
Week in Jerusalem |
|
See
| Jesus' Entombment
| Holy Week in Jerusalem
|
Entrance with stairs leading
to site of the crucifixion
| Pilgrims
from every nation and tradition pray at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.Six
Christian groups occupy the church and offer religious services and liturgies
- Latin Catholics, Greek Orthodox, Armenians, Syrians, Copts, and Ethiopians. |
visitors from many faiths
gather in front of the entrance
Catholic chapel near site
of the crucifixion
|