The Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Creators: name: Booth, Philip
Publisher: name: Database of Religious History (DRH)
Year: 2023

description: This church, located in the Christian quarter of the old city of Jerusalem (Israel), serves as the architectural monument commemorating the salvific events associated with the final days of Jesus’ life. Consecrated in 335, and renovated repeatedly over the centuries, the church encompasses the traditional locations of Christ’s crucifixion as well as his burial and subsequent resurrection. Its building was part of a broader building programme, instituted by Emperor Constantine (d.377) which saw the construction of a number of Christian churches in key sacred locations in Palestine. In its earliest form, it comprised two separate structures: the Rotunda, a circular building enclosing a smaller monument known as the Aedicule, and the Basilica of Constantine which stood to the East. The church however suffered numerous destructions which altered its fabric. Chief amongst these was its destruction in 1009 on orders of Fatimid Caliph al-Hakim (985-1021) which led to its reconstruction initially during the 11th century, but in the main during the period of the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem (1099-1291). The building’s current form is mainly the result of this reconstruction, completed in the Gothic style between the 1140s and the 1160s, though it has been subject to numerous, significant repairs since that date. The Rotunda remains the main part of the church and encloses the most sacred element of the structure. The Aedicule, a smaller monument contained with the Rotunda and rebuilt in 1555, was constructed over a 1st century CE rock-cut tomb, dug away from original quarry which it seems to have been a part. The empty tomb is believed to be that of Christ and is venerated by many Christian denominations as the location of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. The south of the Church contains a chapel, reached by a series of steps, commemorating the place of Calvary or Golgotha, and thus the site of Christ’s crucifixion. This chapel in turn sits atop further chapel in which the rock of Golgotha can be see (sometimes recognised as the burial place of Adam). To the east of the Church, surrounding the choir, are a series of other chapels, including the Prison of Christ, the Chapel of Flagellation, the Chapel of Crowning with Thorns, and the subterranean chapel of St Helena which commemorates the site where the Empress Helena (d.330) miraculously discovered the resting place of the True Cross. All these locations play a significant role in historical and contemporary commemorations of Christ’s passion and resurrection. In recent times, the Church has undergone major renovation works, particularly during the period of the British Mandate (1918-1948) and since the 1960s, though this latest phase was completed in 2017. Today it is held in reverence by many of Christianity’s denominations. It is controlled jointly by groups representing the Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, Coptic, Syrian, and Ethiopian churches whose ownership is managed through an agreement known as the Status Quo which gives each groups certain rights over different parts of the building. It is widely considered Christianity’s most sacred place.