Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Dear Friends,

I spent some time in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre a few days ago. I did a lot of reflecting. My pictures are kind of hurried because I was thinking, but I want to share this place with you.

“If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” ~St. Paul (1 Corinthians 15:14)

Calvary

These steep steps are the hill of Calvary. Christ carried the cross up this hill which is now totally encompassed by a church.

The place where the cross stood

This is where the cross stood. Pilgrims can kneel under the altar, reach their arm into a small, dark hole and touch the rock where Christ’s cross stood. To the right of the altar, you can see a long, deep crack in the bedrock, possibly from the earthquake at Christ’s death.

Slab of anointing

This is said to be where they put Christ’s body to anoint it with oil before burial. It is an important reminder of the reality of His death; but according to my friend Fr. Samson, this isn’t the actual slab. This particular rock in this particular spot only dates back to the 1800s or so.

The front of the tomb.

This is the place, Friends. To get to the tomb itself, you go through the low door under all the lamps and into an anteroom. Then, you go through a smaller door and there is a long, smooth, well polished stone where Christ’s body was placed and from which He rose. This is the place. The central historical fact of the Christian faith happened here.

Mary Magdalen’s Chapel

This is where Mary Magdalen met the Risen Lord in the garden (John 20:14–18).

(This is a picture of the tomb from the place where Jesus met Mary Magdalen so that you have some context of the distance. It is close, and Calvary is through the far set of arches and to the left.)

There are thousands of these tiny crosses going down the steps.

Christians in the first centuries carved these tiny crosses into the walls of a Roman temple to Aphrodite that was built above where they had hidden the true cross. These little crosses helped St. Helena locate the cross.

St. Helena’s Chapel

And here is where St. Helena found the True Cross and other relics which she then shipped to Rome and are now in Santa Croce.

I just want to be clear, Calvary, the Tomb, the garden with Mary Magdalen, and where Helena found the True Cross are all located within the same church. For those of you who have been to Rome, this church is probably about the size of Mary Major. Square footage wise, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre might be larger, but it is divided up piecemeal into chapels and halls. It is really a strange church. I have more thoughts but this is all for now.

Good night (morning, noon, evening, etc.) and Pax!

DS