page_title: Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre
section_title: Status quo
hierarchical_section_title: Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre / Holy places / Status quo
caption_attribution_description: Eastern Orthodox clergyman in Jerusalem
context_page_description: The Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre, or the Holy Community of the All-Holy Sepulchre, is an Eastern Orthodox monastic fraternity guarding the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and other Christian holy places in the Holy Land, founded in its present form during the British Mandate in Palestine. Headed by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, the brotherhood also administers the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, such as metropolitans, archbishops, bishops, archimandrites, hieromonks, hierodeacons, and monks.
  According to its own tradition, the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre was founded in 313 as the Order of the Spoudaeoi, or the "Spoudaeoi of the Holy Resurrection of Christ". The traditional date of foundation corresponds to the Edict of Milan and its legalisation of Christianity in the Roman Empire, as well as the foundation of the churches in the Holy Land by Emperor Constantine and his mother, Empress Helena, which is in turn traditionally dated to 326. According to findings of contemporary researchers, they were present before 326, organised as an order of ordained clergy during the visit of Saint Helen in Jerusalem. Saint Cyril of Jerusalem makes mention of them.
context_section_description: After the renovation of 1555, control of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre oscillated between the Franciscans and the Orthodox, depending on which community could obtain a favorable firman from the Sublime Porte at a particular time, often through outright bribery, and violent clashes were not uncommon. In 1757, weary of the squabbling, the Porte issued a firman that divided the church among the claimants. This was confirmed in 1852 with another firman that made the arrangement permanent, establishing a status quo of territorial division among the communities.
  The primary custodians are the Greek Orthodox Church, which has the lion's share, the Custodian of the Holy Land, an official of the Franciscans and affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, and the Eastern Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic Churches. In the 19th century, the Coptic Orthodox, the Ethiopian Orthodox and the Syriac Orthodox acquired lesser responsibilities, which include shrines and other structures within and around the building. Times and places of worship for each community are strictly regulated in common areas.
  Under the status quo, no part of what is designated as common territory may be so much as rearranged without consent from all communities. This often leads to the neglect of badly needed repairs when the communities cannot come to an agreement among themselves about the final shape of a project. Just such a disagreement has delayed the renovation of the edicule, where the need is now dire, but also where any change in the structure might result in a change to the status quo disagreeable to one or more of the communities.
  A less grave sign of this state of affairs is located on a window ledge over the church's entrance. Someone placed a wooden ladder there sometime before 1852, when the status quo defined both the doors and the window ledges as common ground. The ladder remains there to this day, in almost exactly the same position. It can be seen to occupy the ledge in century-old photographs and engravings.
  None of the communities controls the main entrance. In 1192, Saladin assigned responsibility for it to a Muslim family. The Joudeh Al-Goudia a noble family with a long history were entrusted with the keys as custodians. This arrangement has persisted into modern times.
caption: Greek Orthodox priest of the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem
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