The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1915-05-12
May Become Property OF
Christians.
KEYS NOW HELD BY The TURKS
And M0Slem SentinelS Stand
Guard-Little Sanctity
Around About.
A DESCRIPTION OF INTERIOR

The holy sepulcher at Jerusalem,
for the possession of which the cru
sades of the middle ages were un-
dertaken, will at last become the
property of the Christians of the
world in case the allies win in the
European war. To-day the keys of
this the most venerated sanctuary in
Christendom are held by the Turks,
and Moslem sentinels stand out
side of it's doors night and day,
while the pavement in front of its
main entrance is occupied at all
hours by beggars and street ped
dlers, who assail visitors and pass
ers-by.
The sepulcher is contained within
the walls of a church, in which not
only the Catholics, but also the
Greeks, the Armenians and the Copts
have affairs of worship. 1t is a grot-
to or cavern, consisting of two
rooms hewn out of living rock. The
outer chamber, which is sixteen feet
long by ten feed wide, is called the
Chapel of the Angels. The inner
room is the sepulcher itself and
contains the stone on which the
body of Jesus reposed.
1t was in the outer chamber, the
visitor is told, that the angels an
nounced the resurrection to the holy
women. In the middle of the floor,
covered with white marble, richly
carved, is a portion of the stone on
which, as described in the Scrip
lures, the angel sat on Easter morn
ing. Suspended from the roof are
fifteen lamps, representing as many
Christian nations, which are always
kept burning.
A door so low that the visitor
can pass only by STOPPING gives en-
trance to the inner room, pointed
out as the actual burial place OF
Jeusus, which is hardly more thar
six feet square. The stone on
which the body of the Redeemer lay
is raised three feet above the
ground, is covered with a marble
slab, and used as a naltar. Inasmucf
as only four persons at a time car
find room in the small chamber, the
Catholics, Greeks and Armenian'
are Obliged to take turns in per
forming services.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchel
Is surmounted by a dome. Beneath
the Chapel is a rotunda, off which
is the Chapel of the Apparitior
marking the place where the Savior
first showed himself to his mother
after the resurrection. But this Il
only one of many sacred assocla
tiOns pertaining to the ancient has
cilica. Just inside the main door Il
the stone of JUNCTION on which tn,
body of Jesus was laid while it wal
anointed by the holy women befor,
burial
On entering the church the visit
or ascends to the top of a stairway
where a tablet set in the wall state
that this was the place where Chris
was stripped of his garments" Fo
il should be understood that the sa
cred edifice here described actual!
covers the rock of Calvary, and /;
long strip Of mosaic in the foo
marks the spot where Jesus wa
nailed to the cross. Beneath a near
by altar is the hole or socket in
which the cross was planted. 1t Il
lined with silver. The holes for tn,
crosses of the two thieves are OF
either hand, little to the back.
On one side of this altar, incloseC
by silver railing, is the rift mad,
in the rock at the moment OF tn,
death of Jesus. This cleft extends
downward to hollow beneath
known as the "grotto of ADAM" be,
cause the skull of the first man Il
said TO be buried there.
Students of history recall the fact