John Bridge's Travelogue: Day 2

We begin at the end, at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City. The church is built over the sites where it is believed Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected. The first basilica was built here between 326 and 335 CE by the Roman Emperor Constantine (who had made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire) at the suggestion of his mother, St. Helena. St. Helena had visited Jerusalem and recorded early oral histories of the execution and resurrection of Jesus. These traditions and archeological finds supporting them are largely consistent with the Gospels’ versions of those events. Regardless of whether the exact locations of the crucifixion and resurrection have been pinpointed with total accuracy, they certainly at least occurred close by. The current church was built by the Crusaders in the 12th century but extensively repaired in the 19th and 20th centuries after fires and an earthquake caused great damage.

On the way. Signage in Hebrew, Arabic, and English

Walking to the church on a “cardo” (a market street) in the Old City. 

The dome of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. 

A chapel of the Coptic (Egyptian) Orthodox Church. Six Christian denominations have dominion over different parts of the church: Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Ethiopian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox, and Armenian Apostolic. No Protestants, including Anglicans, have any control in the church. The denominations with control were established before the Reformation.

On the roof of the church. Ethiopian Orthodox monks live in small quarters here. 

On the roof. 

On the roof

Standing in line to view the Chapels of Golgotha (Hebrew for “the Place of the Skull”), which was translated to Calvary in Latin. 

The Roman Catholic Chapel. The altar stands over the stone where it is believed Jesus was nailed to the cross. 

The Altar of the Stabat Mater, honoring the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, who watched her son be publicly and cruelly executed. The carved wood bust of Mary dates from the 18th century. 

The Greek Orthodox Chapel. The altar is believed to stand over the spot where Jesus was crucified. Beneath the altar is a hole in the floor where pilgrims can reach through and touch Golgotha. Yes, I did it. 

Outside the chapels. 

Inside the church

A church service by Asian Catholics. 

The Shrine of the Tomb of Christ below the church rotunda. 

The Shrine of the Tomb of Christ. We intend to visit the tomb of the risen Christ at the end of our pilgrimage. 

The Chapel of St. Helena, who visited Jerusalem in the 4th century and encouraged her son, Emporer Constantine, to build the first basilica here. It is possible that this room was used as a prison to hold Jesus to await execution after he had been flogged.

Inside the church

The Chapel of Adam, where the crack in the rock of Golgatha can be plainly seen. Tradition holds that the crack was caused by the earthquake that followed the death of Jesus as told in the Gospel of Matthew. 

Another view of the shrine. 

Part of the stone to which, according to tradition, Jesus was tied to be flogged by Roman soldiers.

 The Stone of Unction, where pilgrims have commemorated the cleaning and wrapping of Jesus’s body since the Middle Ages.

A ceiling in the church. Under Christ is thought to be the center of the world. 

On the stairway to the Chapel of St. Helena. Pilgrims carved these crosses in the limestone wall. Pilgrims have come to this church for over 1,600 years.