Touring Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre
The Peripatetic Historian visits one of Christianity’s holiest sites
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is arguably the most important church in Christianity. The final stop on the Via Dolorosa (The Way of Suffering), it is believed to mark the spot where Jesus was crucified and laid in a tomb before his resurrection. Although these claims are controversial, the church has an ancient pedigree and has attracted pilgrims for nearly 1,700 years.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre dates to the fourth century. According to tradition, Helena, the mother of Roman Emperor Constantine, made a trip to Jerusalem near the end of her life. Being something of an amateur archaeologist, she discovered the place where Jesus was crucified, the cross that bore his body, and the tomb (sepulchre) where he was interred after his death.
Drawing upon her son’s checkbook, Helena built a church that encompassed these three holy sites.
It is important to note that despite Helena’s first rate archaeological fieldwork, many modern archaeologists doubt that the Romans executed Jesus here. Two major…
