Church of the Holy Sepulchre

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre stands in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City. The first church on the site was built under the Roman emperor Constantine on ground identified as the place of Jesus's crucifixion and burial, and it was consecrated on 13 September 335. Eastern Christians call it the Church of the Resurrection, or Anastasis.

The building has been destroyed and rebuilt several times. Fire damaged it during the Persian conquest of 614, and the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim ordered it demolished in 1009, after which it was rebuilt in 1048. The Crusaders brought the separate holy places under one roof by 1149 and added the bell tower. A fire in 1808 damaged the rotunda, which was rebuilt in 1809 and 1810.

Just inside the entrance is the Stone of Anointing, where tradition holds that the body of Jesus was prepared for burial. Steep steps to the right climb to Calvary, or Golgotha, where a Greek Orthodox altar stands over the rock, visible under glass, and a Catholic chapel marks the Nailing to the Cross. Below lies the Chapel of Adam. To the west, the great domed rotunda surrounds the Aedicule, the small shrine over the tomb, which was restored in 2016 and 2017.

Under the Status Quo, settled in the 18th and 19th centuries, the church is shared mainly by the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Armenian Apostolic churches, with smaller roles for the Coptic, Ethiopian and Syriac Orthodox churches. Even small changes need agreement, which is why a wooden ladder has stood under a window on the facade for generations. Two Muslim families, the Joudeh and the Nuseibeh, have traditionally held the key and opened the door.

Entry is free and the church is an active place of worship, so some chapels close during services and processions. Visitors should cover shoulders and knees. Queues for the Aedicule can be long, especially at Easter and on major feast days, and early morning is usually the calmest time.

How was the tomb restored in 2016 and 2017?

The Aedicule restoration ran from May 2016 to March 2017 at a cost of about 4 million US dollars, with a team from the National Technical University of Athens. Funding came largely through the World Monuments Fund, including 1.3 million dollars from Mica Ertegün, and a large gift from King Abdullah II of Jordan.

On 26 October 2016 the marble cladding over the burial bed was lifted for the first time since at least 1555. By 28 October the team had found the original limestone bed intact, and it was sealed again soon after. Tests later dated the mortar above the bed to the middle of the 4th century, which matches the Constantinian building.

Which stations of the cross are inside?

The last stations of the Via Dolorosa end in the church. The 10th is marked at the Chapel of the Franks outside the facade. The 11th is the Catholic chapel of the Nailing to the Cross, the 12th is the rock of Calvary under the Greek Orthodox altar, and the 13th is the Stabat Mater altar between them. The route ends at the tomb.

Down a staircase cut with Crusader crosses lies the Chapel of Saint Helena. Above its dome is the rooftop monastery of Deir es-Sultan, whose use is disputed between the Coptic and Ethiopian churches. The church holds about 8,000 people and was closed from 25 March to 24 May 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.