Page 176 - DK Eyewitness Travel Guides - The World's Must-See Places

Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Jerusalem
174 ASIA

.,, ........ ."""•-{ ... ~ Built around what is believed to be the site of Christ's
crucifixion, burial, and resurrection, this complex church is the

SEA r~ 1 most important in Christendom. The first basilica here was
built by the Roman emperor Constantine between 326 and
Tel AviV • CHURCH OF THE __,.......;
0 HOLY SEPULCHER,_.........- I
JERUSALEM 335 at the suggestion of his mother, St. Helena. It was rebuilt
on a smaller scale by the Byzantine emperor Constantine
Mono mach us in the 1 040s, following its destruction by
E.GVPT
Fatimid Sultan Hakim in 1009, but was
Katholikon dome enlarged again by the Crusaders between
1114 and 1170. A disastrous fire in

GOLGOTHA 1808, and an earthquake in 1927,
Inside the church, two staircases lead up to necessitated extensive repairs.
Golgotha, meaning "Place of the Skull" in
Hebrew. On the left is a Greek Orthodox chapel,
IJIIith its altar placed directly over the rocky out- Rotunda ----------1':¥--'--
crop on which the cross of Christ's Crucifixion The most majestic part of
is believed to have stood (Rock of Golgotha). the church, this was heavily
rebuilt after the 1808 fire.
The crack in Golgotha, visible from the apse of
the Chapel of Adam below, is believed to have
Crusader Bell Tower __ _
been caused by the earthquake that followed This tower was reduced by
Christ's death. To the right is a Roman Catholic two stories in 1719.
chapel containing a silver and bronze altar made
in 1558 and donated by Cardinal Ferdinand de
~ Christ's Tomb
Medici. In between the two altars is the Stab at
Mater, an altar commemorating Mary's sorrow
at the foot of the cross. ~ Stone of Unction
This is where the anointing
THE STATUS QUO and wrapping of Christ's
body after his death has
No fewer than 17 churches are represented in
been commemorated since
Jerusalem, a result of many historical schisms. medieval times. The present
The long, fierce disputes between Christian stone dates from 1810.
creeds over ownership of the Church of the
Holy Sepulcher were largely resolved by an
Ottoman decree issued in 1852. Still in force,
and known as the Status Quo, it divides custody
of the church among Greeks, Armenians, Copts,
Roman Catholics, Ethiopians, and Syrians. Some
areas are administered communally. Every day,
the church is unlocked by a Muslim keyholder
acting as a "neutral" intermediary. This
ceremonial task has been performed by a
member of the same family for generations.

CHRIST'S TOMB
For the construction of the first church, builders Main Entrance
dug away the hillside to leave the alleged This dates from the early
12th century. The right-hand
Christ's Tomb isolated, with enough room to ~ Courtyard /
door was blocked up late in
build a church around it To achieve this, an old the same century.
temple had to be cleared from the site, and in Chapel of/
the process, the Rock of Golgotha, believed to the Franks
be the site where Christ was nailed to the cross, THE FIRST CHURCHES
was found. A succession of shrines replaced the
Christianity became the dominant
original 4th-century one. The present shrine, religion in the Holy Land in the 4th
IJIIith two chapels, was rebuilt in 1809-1 0 after century, and impressive churches KEY DATES
a fire. The outer Chapel of the Angel has a low were built Before then, Roman 32 &-35 1114-70 1981
pilaster IJIIith a piece of the stone said to have sus pi cion of unauthorized sects
been rolled from the mouth of Christ's tomb by meant that Christians were forced to Emperor Constantine Crusaders enlarge The Old City of
angels. A low door leads to the inner Chapel meet and worship in private" house- and St. Helena the building in the Jerusalem joins the
have the first
list of UNESCO World
Romanesque style
of the Holy Sepulcher, which houses the place churches" called domus ecdesia. basilica built. and add a bell tower. Heritage Sites.
where Christ's body was said to have been laid.