Is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher open? Why are the keys to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher held by Muslims?
The underground Church of the Finding of the Life-Giving Cross, the Church of St. Helen of the Apostles and several chapels. There are several active monasteries on the territory of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher; it includes many auxiliary rooms, galleries, etc.
The temple is divided between six Christian societies representing the three main faiths represented in the Holy Land - Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Anti-Chalcedonian. In order to avoid misunderstandings, the interested parties in the distribution of property and the order of services observe the historically established status quo, determined by the Khatt-i-Sherif of the year, confirmed by the firmans and years. Legal, property and territorial boundaries assigned to each religious society, are strictly stipulated (not a single icon, not a single lamp can be added or removed without general consent). The Anointing Stone is in common possession. “The guardians and keepers of the doors of the temple” have been the Muslim Nusseib family since the year.
Distribution of parts of the temple
Column of the Holy Fire– one of the marble Corinthian columns decorating the portal on the left. It was miraculously split almost in half Holy Saturday year. In connection with the disputes that arose about Easter (the Orthodox celebrated Easter that year on April 6, a week earlier than the anti-Chalcedonite Armenians), the Ottoman authorities, at the insistence of the Armenian governor, locked the temple, not allowing the Orthodox to attend the service of the Holy Fire. Through the prayer of Orthodox believers who had gathered at closed doors, led by Metropolitan Parthenius of Bethlehem and Archbishop Athanasius of Gaza (Patriarch Theophan IV was not in Jerusalem at that time), lightning struck from a storm cloud and Holy Fire appeared from a crack in a split column.
In the right, north-eastern corner of the courtyard, an external staircase leads to a small chapel that served as the vestibule of the Calvary chapel. Nowadays it is called Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows or "Chapel of the Franks", sometimes referred to as the Chapel of the Removal of the Robes in remembrance of how Roman soldiers divided the clothes of the Crucified One among themselves. Under the Roman Catholic chapel, on the 1st floor, a separate entrance leads to the Orthodox parecklision of St. Mary of Egypt.
Inside the temple, opposite the entrance, lies the Stone of Anointing, covered with a red polished marble slab 30 cm thick, on the sides of which the Greek text of the troparion to St. Joseph of Arimathea is carved around the perimeter. The corresponding Gospel text (John 19:38-40) is written in Greek on a marble plaque hanging on the right. The removal of the Cross from the Lord, the anointing of the body with incense and the position in the coffin are depicted on a large mosaic panel, stylized as a Byzantine pattern, on the wall directly behind the Stone of Anointing. The mosaic was completed with the blessing of Patriarch Diodorus in the year V. Tsotsonis. Above the Stone there are 8 lamps (4 - Orthodox, 2 - Armenian, 1 - Latin, 1 - Coptic).
There is no evidence reaching us about exactly where the body of the Lord was prepared for burial. But since the century, the rite of Burial of the Shroud has been prominent in the observance of Good Friday. In the temple it is performed as follows: the shroud covered with rose petals is transferred by 6 bishops from Golgotha to the Stone of Anointing; after the litany at the Stone, the shroud is solemnly transferred with a threefold litany around the Edicule and placed on the Triday Bed, then taken to the altar of the catholicon.
Chapel of the Holy Sepulcher (Edicule)
The Chapel of the Holy Sepulcher, or Edicule, stands to the left of the Stone of Anointing, under the arches of the rotunda. On the sides of the entrance to the Edicule there are low marble barriers with benches, behind which there are tall candelabra belonging to the Roman Catholics. Above the door there are lamps hanging in 4 rows (13 each for Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Armenian). One of the decorations of the Edicule is a Russian carved silver canopy from the 1st half of the 19th century with 12 icons of the holy apostles using the Rostov enamel technique. In the year, by order of the Jerusalem Patriarchate, the ancient enamel was replaced with new ones, made according to modern technology Rostov company A. Rudnik.
Edicule(8.3x5.9 m) consists of 2 parts: western, hexagonal in plan (2.07x1.93 m), where the Holy Sepulcher is located, and eastern (3.4x3.9 m), where the Angel's chapel is located . A pedestal with a part of the sacred stone rolled away by an angel is located in the middle of the chapel and serves as a throne during the celebration of the bishop's Orthodox liturgy at the Holy Sepulcher (in this case the Triday Bed itself becomes the altar). There are 15 lamps in the chapel (in 3 rows, according to the number of main confessions). In the northern and southern walls there are oval windows for the transmission of the Holy Fire on Holy Saturday (the northern one is for Orthodox Christians, the southern one is for Armenians). The entrance from the Angel's chapel to the Cave of the Holy Sepulcher is decorated with a marble portal. On the left at the entrance are depicted the myrrh-bearing women, on the right is the Archangel Gabriel stretching out his hand to them (according to the inscription), at the top of the portal is a marble canopy with an inscription in Greek, reproducing the words of the angel: “ Why are you looking for the living among the dead? He is not here, He is risen».
Attached to the edicule in the western part Chapel of the Chapter, belonging to the Coptic Church. According to legend, the second angel sat here (“at the head”) (John 20:12). Since Byzantine times, a small throne existed on this site. The Crusaders called the chapel "cavet" ("head" in Norman dialect) because it was located at the head of the Edicule. According to Armenian sources, the chapel was built by the king of Cilician Armenia Etum II in the year. Subsequently, the Armenians gave this chapel to the Copts, receiving in return one of the monasteries in Egypt. In the year, the Orthodox Greeks reconstructed the Edicule without the Coptic chapel, restored 30 years later at the direction of the then ruler of Palestine, Ibrahim Pasha, son of the Egyptian Khedive Muhammad Ali. Coptic monks cite a legend that during the reconstruction of the edicule in 1997, the niche of the Holy Bed was truncated in the western part, so that the place where the head of the Savior rested ended up in the Coptic chapel.
Rotunda
Church of the Resurrection of the Lord (Katholikon)
Previously, the temple complex of the Holy Sepulcher consisted of several separate sanctuaries: a rotunda directly containing the Edicule, Calvary (Orthodox and Roman Catholic) chapels and the cathedral church of the Jerusalem Orthodox Patriarchate. The Crusader Basilica united these objects in a single internal space. Nowadays, the katholikon (cathedral church) of the Resurrection of the Lord is called the “middle” volume of the temple complex, enclosed by special walls that do not reach the vaults, built after the fire of the year. The Greek reconstruction of that time changed the composition of the structure: in addition to the side walls, a high iconostasis appeared. From a liturgical point of view, the unity of the temple space was achieved, and the necessary prayerful atmosphere for Orthodox worship was created.
Dome The katholikon, the smaller of the 2 domes of the temple, is located above the western part. Precisely under the dome, on a special vase-stand, a marble hemisphere is placed, indicating a place called “mesomphalos” - “the navel of the Earth”. The idea of Jerusalem as the center of the earth and the economy of salvation has been known since ancient times (Ps 73:12), but this building appeared in the temple no earlier than a year ago. The dome contains a mosaic image of Christ the Pantocrator blessing him, surrounded by the Mother of God, St. John the Baptist, Archangels Michael and Gabriel, and 12 saints. Between the 8 windows of the drum, in the niches, there are images of seraphim and cherubim. The mosaic work in the dome of the catholicon was completed in the year.
The Catholicon is cathedral Patriarchate of Jerusalem, why there are 2 throne seats in its eastern part - the thrones of the Patriarch of Jerusalem at the southern pillar and his representative, the Metropolitan of Petro-Arabia, at the northern one. Above the iconostasis is a gallery with 3 pulpits (small balconies) protruding into the church, from where, according to the ancient Byzantine rule, the deacon should read the Gospel. The entire eastern part of the catholicon, including the iconostasis, the sole with 4 steps, 6 columns on it, the northern and southern entrances to the altar, is a single ensemble of pink marble.
Katholikon Galleries
The catholicon, like the rotunda, is surrounded by spacious galleries that house several chapels.
In the northern gallery of the temple there is a place called Arcade Virgo: huge 4-sided pillars bearing high vaults, interspersed with columns, between which stands out a white marble fragment of the building of Emperor Hadrian. It is assumed that of the 7 columns, the 4 central ones belong to the Triporticus of Constantine.
At the eastern end of the gallery there is an Orthodox chapel, indicated on ancient plans as Chapel of the Ouse or Prison of Christ, first mentioned in sources at this place no earlier than a century. This is not an archaeological reconstruction, but an architecturally designed “liturgical model” of the original Prison of Christ. Before entering it, under the throne, there is a stone slab with 2 holes for the feet, where the condemned were put, made by analogy with the shackled stone bench in Pretoria. The Greeks usually call this room the Chapel of the Holy Myrrh-Bearing Women, and Russian pilgrims have recently called it the Chapel of the Weeping Mother of God, after the 19th-century icon of Our Lady of Tenderness located in it, which has been revered as miraculous ever since. The original purpose of this room is unknown; presumably at the time of the Crucifixion there was an ancient Jewish tomb here; according to another version, the holy myrrh-bearing women came here to the abandoned cave.
At the outpatient clinic, behind the altar apse of the catholicon, there are 3 more chapels. The first, Orthodox, is dedicated to Saint Longinus the Centurion. On its marble balustrade is inscribed a verse from the Gospel: “ The centurion and those who were guarding Jesus with him, seeing the earthquake and everything that happened, were greatly afraid and said: Truly this was the Son of God."(Matthew 27:54).
The next aisle located in the gallery belongs to Armenian Church and dedicated to the Division of Robes (John 19:23-24); according to legend, it was at this place that the legionnaires who crucified Christ divided His clothes (at the same time, there is a Roman Catholic throne of the same dedication on Golgotha).
Near the stairs leading down to the Church of St. Helena, there is a chapel of the Crown of Thorns. In the center of the chapel, under the altar, under glass there is a fragment of a thick, round column of gray marble, called the Column of Reproach. According to legend, the Savior sat on this column, no more than 30 cm high, at the moment of His crowning with thorns (Matthew 27:29). According to the testimony of Russian pilgrims of the mid-19th century, a part of the crown of thorns was preserved right there “in the wall behind glass and behind bars.”
Underground temples
Underground Church of St. Helena now belongs to the Armenians, who acquired it, according to one version, from the Georgian Orthodox community, according to another - from the Ethiopians. The temple has 2 altars: the northern altar is dedicated to the Prudent Thief; the main, central one - to Queen Saint Helena and her contemporary Saint Gregory the Illuminator. According to Armenian legend, when Saint Gregory, after a long feat of prayer, came to venerate the Holy Sepulcher, he was honored by the descent of the Holy Fire. The small cross-domed temple (20x13 m) was originally the crypt of the basilica of Emperor Constantine. The dome in the center is supported by 4 ancient monolithic columns; the vaults were erected no earlier than the 12th century. The plane of the floor between the columns is covered with mosaics with scenes from the history of Armenia. A special niche and stone seat mark the place in the temple behind the altar dedicated to Saint Helena, where the queen sat during the excavations. There are 3 unquenchable lamps burning in the window.
The Church of St. Helena is connected by 13 steps to the Roman Catholic Church Church of the Finding of the Cross, located at the lowest point of the entire temple complex. Behind the stone throne stands on a high pedestal a large bronze statue Saint Helena with the Cross she found in her hands, donated by the Austrian Archduke Maximilian. In the right corner of the aisle, under a low hanging rock, lies a small marble slab with a white 8-pointed Orthodox cross on a black background, indicating the place where the Honest Tree was discovered. The Cave of the Finding, according to A. A. Dmitrievsky at the beginning of the century, “ is now almost the undivided property of Catholics, but back in the city the Greek throne stood here". On the Feast of the Exaltation, the Orthodox clergy, led by the Patriarch, performed a solemn litany called the parousia: the procession of the cross left the southern doors of the catholicon and passed through the outpatient clinic to the stairs of the Temple of Helena. Then the procession descended into the Cave of the Finding, where the troparion of the holiday was performed and the Patriarch performed the rite of the Exaltation of the Cross in 4 places - at the ends of the imaginary Cross. Then religious procession headed to the Edicule and, having walked around it three times, ascended to Golgotha, where the rite of the Exaltation of the Cross was repeated.
To the left of the Orthodox slab at the site of the Finding of the Cross, from a hole in the wall one can hear, according to the pilgrims, “a hellish buzzing.” " In essence, this phenomenon occurs because opposite this excavation there is a huge, now empty cistern under the temple.". In the year, with the blessing of the Armenian Patriarch, the space to the northeast of the apse of the Church of St. Helena was explored. We discovered a room to which access had been closed since ancient times. This newly acquired part of the temple was named Chapel of St. Vardan the General or Armenian warrior-martyrs with a passage from St. Helen's Church. In the center of the chapel there is an altar with a khachkar in the name of the 1036 Armenian martyrs who died during the Armenian-Persian war in the year.
Calvary
The most important place of worship in the entire Church of the Holy Sepulcher is the Church of Golgotha, which contains the site of Christ's crucifixion. Golgotha acquired its modern architectural appearance as a result of the renovation of the temple in the year. At the holy place of the Crucifixion there is only the rock itself, which builders and restorers of different eras truncated, leveled, and hewn; today its dimensions are 4.5x11.5x9.25 m. There are 2 staircases leading to the rock: the right one starts immediately from the doors of the temple (“Latin rise” leads to the Roman Catholic side chapel), the left one - from the side of the catholicon (“Greek rise” leads to main Orthodox chapel). 2 naves, separated by squat massive pillars with an arch between them, form the Orthodox and Catholic side chapels of Calvary, which in Byzantine times they formed a single temple.
Orthodox throne, one meter high, made of pink marble; under the throne there is a hole into which the Crucifixion was placed. The surface of the rock is hidden by a marble floor; only to the right and left of the throne in the glazed openings can one see the gray stone of Golgotha itself and the crack that passed through the entire rock as a result of the earthquake at the time of the Savior’s death (Matt. 27:51).
South aisle of Calvary Church - Nailing to the Cross- belongs to the Roman Catholic Franciscans. He acquired modern look as a result of restoration in the late 1930s according to the project of A. Barluzzi, after the earthquake of the year. From the mosaics of the Crusader period, only a fragment of the composition “Ascension of Christ” on the vault of the central arch has survived. The silver altar (master D. Portigiani from the monastery of San Marco in Florence) was donated to the temple in the year by the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Ferdinando de' Medici. It is believed that the altar was placed on the spot where the hands and feet of the Savior were nailed to the Cross. It was originally intended for the Stone of Anointing, which explains its elongated shape, but due to friction between denominations, the Franciscans were forced to place it in the chapel of the Church of Calvary.
Under the arch separating the Roman Catholic part of Golgotha from the Orthodox, there is Roman Catholic altar "Stabat Mater"(according to the first words of the prayer of the 14th century Italian Franciscan poet Jacopone da Todi). Behind the throne is a sculpture Holy Virgin with a sword in his chest in accordance with the prediction of Simeon the God-Receiver (Luke 2:35) (the sculpture was donated by the Portuguese Queen Maria I of Braganza and brought to Jerusalem from Lisbon in).
Located under the Rock of the Crucifixion aisle of Adam's head, otherwise known as the chapel of Melchizedek, who, according to legend, buried the head of the progenitor of the human race here. From here you can see a chasm in Golgotha about 15 cm wide.
From this aisle the door on the right leads to office-cell of the epitrope of the temple(former chapel of St. John the Baptist), from where you can go to Orthodox sacristy, where a cross-reliquary with a particle of the Life-Giving Tree and many particles of the relics of saints are kept.
Yard and its buildings
The territory of the square in front of the entrance to the temple almost entirely belongs to the Jerusalem Patriarchate. In the left corner of the yard rises
For the right to possess the holy relics of Palestine, a fierce struggle was waged for several centuries among the most strong countries Christian world: England, France, Austria-Hungary, Russia. Repeatedly, in crusade European knights marched to liberate the Holy Sepulcher from Islamic conquerors.
In 1053, division began Christian religion into two independent branches: Catholic and Orthodox. Intra-church disagreements have not yet been resolved.
Status quo. Treaty to end hostilities
Each branch of Christianity wanted to receive divine shrines into their personal possession. Interreligious disagreements were settled in 1855 by concluding an agreement on the joint management of the temple and the admission of representatives of all faiths to it - the status quo.
The head of the temple is Orthodox Patriarch Jerusalem. The entire temple is divided into zones of influence - limits. Decisions about changes and improvements are made by reaching a general consensus.
An immovable wooden staircase, left on the main façade unknown when, became a symbol of the inviolability of the status quo.
How many and what denominations are there in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre?
Any Christians are free to perform prayer rituals in the church, even those who do not have assigned property. The 6 main denominations share the premises of the temple among themselves, alternately conduct liturgies, and individually manage their boundaries.
On a permanent basis there are:
- Greek Orthodox;
- Roman Catholic;
- Syrian;
- Coptic;
- Armenian;
- Ethiopian.
Keys to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher
To avoid interreligious disputes about primacy and seniority, the Arabs have kept the keys for more than a thousand years. The key keeper who opens and locks the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem every day is a member of the Nusaybah family.
Ancient history of the Crucifixion and Resurrection of the son of God Jesus
The Roman Empire was tolerant of the fragmented religious cults of the conquered peoples, which glorified polytheism and paganism. The small community of Christians at that time believed in One God and put spiritual interests above the interests of the state, which caused disgrace and discontent from the authorities.
Jesus of Nazareth, before his martyrdom on the Cross, promised his resurrection as proof of the truth Christian faith and hope for the salvation of mankind in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Death and burial of the Savior
Along the dusty road Via Dolorosa, the son of God ascended Mount Calvary with a cross, sacrificing his life to atone for human sins. The disciples buried the body of the Savior in a cave-tomb on the personal land of their associate, Joseph of Arithamea.
For three days the Myrrh-Bearing Woman, led by Mary Magdalene, visited the Holy Sepulcher. We were the first to receive the good news of the miraculous Resurrection from the angel.
In honor of these women, who did not turn away from Jesus even after death, the icon “Myrrh-Bearing Women at the Holy Sepulcher” was painted in the 16th century; it is kept in the St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod.
When was the Church of the Holy Sepulcher built?
Christianity, after the miracle of the Resurrection of the Savior, received an impetus for further spread, but due to prohibitions and persecution, the place where the Holy Sepulcher is located was consigned to oblivion for three hundred years; the first Christians were categorically forbidden by the Roman authorities to build prayer structures and openly praise God.
In 320-326 Emperor Constantine I made Christianity the official religion of Rome, and his mother, Queen Helena, made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. On Mount Golgotha, by that time there was a pagan temple of Aphrodite.
With the help of local residents and Bishop Macarius I, Helen carried out excavations. At the same time, material evidence of the execution of Christ was discovered: a cross, 4 nails, a three-day tomb in a mountain crypt littered with stones.
Who built the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem
The queen, with the help of her son, by 335, erected the first Church of the Holy Sepulcher over the tomb.
It was destroyed several times, following the dramatic fate of the region: the collapse of the Roman and Byzantine empires, the capture of Jerusalem by the Persians and Arabs.
In the 12th century, the prayer complex was rebuilt by the Crusaders, connecting under a domed roof all the places associated with the crucifixion and resurrection of the Savior.
At the beginning of the 19th century. after a severe fire, the church underwent a global reconstruction, money for which was provided by Russia.
Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem today
The double entrance portal for visitors is located on the south side; one of the openings was filled with brickwork during the time of the Arab conqueror Salah ad-Din.
For which religion is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher sacred?
The Israeli sanctuary is the Holy Sepulcher, the greatest relic. It contains the main evidence of the life and Resurrection of the Savior.
According to Jewish Old Testament, created long before the birth of Christ, the Messiah, the son of God - the establisher of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, must descend to earth.
Internal structure of the temple
There are monasteries under the common roof of the temple, there are service halls and secret passages. The boundaries of the confessions occupy the underground and above-ground parts of the structure.
- in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. It lies near the main entrance. It was on it that the disciples prepared the body of Christ for the ascension: they smeared it with myrrh and aloes, wrapped it in linen fabric- the shroud.
- Place of execution - According to legend, there is the grave of the Old Testament first man Adam. A silver circle marks the place of the crucifixion of the son of God.
- . The chapel was built in the central rotunda above the tomb cave, and consists of two areas: the Angel and the place of the Ascension of the Son of God - the funeral bed. In 1555 it was covered with a white marble slab to protect it from damage by pilgrims and pilgrims.
The Orthodox service begins at 23-00 and lasts 4 hours;
Armenian liturgy: from 3 am to 6 am;
Catholic Mass: from 6-00 to 9-00.
The visit began on Friday, November 9 His Holiness Patriarch Kirill to the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The Primate of the Russian Church will repeat the historical path of many Russian pilgrims. On the night from Saturday to Sunday, he will celebrate the Divine Liturgy in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Resurrection of Christ) in Jerusalem- This main temple the Christian world, where two shrines and testimonies are located - Golgotha and the Holy Sepulcher, as well as other places associated with the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, his Passion on the Cross and the Resurrection.
The “Orthodoxy and Peace” portal invites readers to go on a photo journey through the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and its surroundings - together with a photographer.
Entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Night.
Cleaning in one of the aisles. Here was the prison in which the Savior was imprisoned before the crucifixion.
The workers turned out to be visitors from Odessa, working for the Glory of God. In the conversation they said that they just came to work, bought a plane ticket and that’s it. Some six months ago, some four months ago. They came to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and turned to those ministers who understood at least a little Russian, and they were taken into obedience.
Near the stairs going down to the Church of St. Helena, the chapel of the Crown of Thorns is located.
Underground Church of St. Helena currently belongs to the Armenians, who acquired it, according to one version, from the Georgian Orthodox community, according to another, from the Ethiopians. The temple has two altars: the northern altar is dedicated to the Prudent Thief; main, central, - to the queen of St. Helena and her contemporary St. Gregory the Illuminator. According to Armenian legend, when St. Gregory, after a long feat of prayer, came to venerate the Holy Sepulcher, and was honored by the descent of the Holy Fire.
The small cross-domed temple (20x13 m) was originally the crypt of the basilica of Emperor Constantine. The dome in the center is supported by 4 ancient monolithic columns; the vaults were erected no earlier than the 12th century. The plane of the floor between the columns is covered with mosaics, the subjects of which are taken from the history of Armenia.
A special niche and stone seat in the temple mark the place behind the altar dedicated to St. Helena, where the queen sat during the excavations.
There are 3 unquenchable lamps burning in the window.
Church of St. Helena with 13 steps.
On the right you can see the entrance down... Church of St. Helena is connected to Catholic Church The Finding of the Cross, located at the lowest point of the entire temple complex. Behind the stone throne stands on a high pedestal a large bronze statue of St. Helena with the Cross she found in her hands, donated by the Austrian Archduke Maximilian.
In the right corner of the aisle, under a low-hanging rock, lies a small marble slab with a white 8-pointed orthodox. cross on a black background, indicating the place where the Honest Tree was discovered.
Inside the temple, opposite the entrance, lies the Stone of Anointing, covered with a red marble polished slab (30 cm thick), on the sides of which Greek is carved around the perimeter. text of the troparion of St. Joseph of Arimathea (“Noble Joseph”). The corresponding Gospel text (John 19. 38-40) is written in Greek on a marble plaque hanging on the right. The descent from the Cross, the anointing of the body with incense and the position in the tomb are depicted on a large mosaic panel, stylized as a Byzantine pattern, on the wall directly behind the Stone of Anointing (the mosaic was made with the blessing of Patriarch Diodorus in 1990 by V. Tsotsonis). Above the Stone there are 8 lamps (4 Greek, 2 Armenian, 1 Latin, 1 Coptic).
In the photo, a Coptic monk lights a lamp.
There is no evidence reaching us about exactly where the body of the Lord was prepared for burial. But already from the 5th century. in succession good friday The rite of Burial of the Shroud stands out. In the temple it is performed as follows: the shroud covered with rose petals is carried by six bishops from Golgotha to the Stone of Anointing; after the litany at the Stone, the shroud is solemnly transferred with a threefold litany around the Edicule and placed on the Triday Bed, then taken to the altar of the catholicon.
Courtyard of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
Servants of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, guards.
The facade of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher from the entrance (south side) is a typical work of Romanesque architecture of the 12th century. In the double lunettes of the portal there were originally marble bas-reliefs depicting “The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem” and “The Burial of the Savior” (transferred for storage to the Rockefeller Museum in Jerusalem).
Queue at the Edicule.
Mosaics of the Katholikon (Church of the Resurrection of the Lord).
Catholicon (Church of the Resurrection of the Lord) in the present day. time they call the “middle” volume of the complex, enclosed by special walls that do not reach the vaults, built after the fire of 1808 (initially the temple complex of the Holy Sepulcher consisted of several separate sanctuaries: the rotunda directly containing the Edicule, Calvary (Orthodox and Catholic) chapels and the cathedral the temple of the Jerusalem Orthodox Patriarchate; the basilica of the crusaders united these objects in a single internal space). The Greek reconstruction changed the composition of the building: in addition to the side walls, a high iconostasis appeared, but from a liturgical point of view, the unity of the temple space was achieved, and the necessary prayer atmosphere for Orthodox worship was created.
The dome of the katholikon, the smaller of the 2 domes of the temple, is located above the western part. Precisely under the dome, on a special vase-stand, there is a marble hemisphere, indicating a place called “mesomphalos” - “the navel of the Earth”. However, if the idea of Jerusalem as the center of the earth and the economy of salvation (Ps 73.12) is 1 thousand years older than Christianity, then the marble flowerpot appeared in the temple no earlier than 1810. The dome contains a mosaic image of the blessing Pantocrator surrounded by the Mother of God, St. John the Baptist, Archangels Michael and Gabriel, 12 saints. Between the 8 windows of the drum, in the niches, there are images of seraphim and cherubs (the mosaic work in the dome of the catholicon was completed in 1994).
The Catholicon is the cathedral of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which is expressed by the presence of 2 throne seats in its eastern part (the thrones of the Patriarch of Jerusalem at the southern pillar and his epitrope, the Metropolitan of Petro-Arabia, at the northern one). Above the iconostasis there is a gallery with three pulpits (small balconies) protruding into the temple, from which the ancient Byzantine side is located. As a rule, the deacon must read the Gospel. All east part of the catholicon, including the iconostasis, soleya with 4 steps, 6 columns on it, north. and south The entrances to the altar are a single ensemble of pink marble.
The catholicon, like the rotunda, is surrounded by spacious galleries, which house several chapels. In the north In the gallery of the temple there is a place called the Arcades of the Virgin: huge tetrahedral pillars supporting high arches, interspersed with columns, between which stands out a white marble fragment of the imperial building. Adriana. It is assumed that of the 7 columns, the 4 central ones belong to the Triporticus of Constantine.
Edicule
Entrance to Edicule. A Greek monk keeps order.
The Edicule (8.3×5.9 m) consists of two parts: the western, hexagonal in plan (2.07×1.93 m), where the Holy Sepulcher is located, and the eastern (3.4×3.9 m) , where the Angel's chapel is located. A pedestal with a part of the sacred stone rolled away by an angel is located in the middle of the chapel and serves as a throne during the performance of the bishop's liturgy. Liturgy at the Holy Sepulcher (in this case the Triday Bed itself becomes the altar). The chapel has 15 lamps in three rows - according to the number of main confessions. In the northern and southern walls there are oval windows for the transfer of the Holy Fire on Holy Saturday (the southern one is for Armenians, the northern one is for Orthodox Christians). The entrance from the Angel's chapel to the Cave of the Holy Sepulcher is decorated with a marble portal. On the left at the entrance are depicted the myrrh-bearing women, on the right is the Archangel Gabriel stretching out his hand to them (according to the inscription), at the top of the portal is a marble canopy with an inscription in Greek, reproducing the words of the angel: “Why are you looking for the living among the dead? He is not here, He has risen."
The cave of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is a small chamber, almost half occupied on the right by a stone bed covered with a marble transenna slab. The slab appeared in Edicule in 1555. Maxim Simeos, who was the last to see the Savior’s stone bed without a slab covering it in 1810, testified that it was severely damaged by the unreasonable jealousy of countless “God-lovers” who strove to break off, bite off, and take away a particle at any cost. shrines. In the western part of the slab, due to the zeal of the pilgrims, a noticeable depression was formed. On the marble shelf running along the sides of the Triday Bed, there are three icons of the Resurrection - from each of the Christian confessions. The ktitor inscription above the door names the creator of Edicule - the Greek architect N. Komninos, who was tortured by the Turks in Constantinople during the Morean uprising on Easter 1821.
In the western part, the Chapel of the Head, belonging to the Coptic Church, is attached to the edicule. According to legend, the second angel sat here (“at the head”) (John 20:12). According to Armenian sources, the chapel was built by the king of Cilician Armenia Etum II in 1300. Subsequently, the Armenians gave this chapel to the Copts, receiving in return one of the monasteries in Egypt. Coptic monks cite a legend that during the reconstruction of the edicule in 1810, the niche of the Holy Bed was truncated in the western part, so that the place where the head of the Savior rested ended up in the Coptic chapel. Since Byzantine times, a small throne existed on this site. The Crusaders called the chapel "cavet" ("head" in Norman dialect) because it was located at the head of the Edicule. In 1810, the Greeks reconstructed the Edicule without the Copts. chapel, restored thirty years later at the direction of the then ruler of Palestine, Ibrahim Pasha, son of the Egyptian Khedive Muhammad Ali.
On Friday, November 9, the visit of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill to the Jerusalem Patriarchate began. The Primate of the Russian Church will repeat the historical path of many Russian pilgrims. On the night from Saturday to Sunday, he will celebrate the Divine Liturgy in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Resurrection of Christ) in Jerusalem- this is the main temple of the Christian world, where two shrines and testimonies are located - Golgotha and the Holy Sepulcher, as well as other places associated with the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, his Passion on the Cross and the Resurrection.
The “Orthodoxy and Peace” portal invites readers to go on a photo journey through the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and its surroundings - together with a photographer.
Entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Night.
Cleaning in one of the aisles. Here was the prison in which the Savior was imprisoned before the crucifixion.
The workers turned out to be visitors from Odessa, working for the Glory of God. In the conversation they said that they just came to work, bought a plane ticket and that’s it. Some six months ago, some four months ago. They came to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and turned to those ministers who understood at least a little Russian, and they were taken into obedience.
Near the stairs going down to the Church of St. Helena, the chapel of the Crown of Thorns is located.
Underground Church of St. Helena currently belongs to the Armenians, who acquired it, according to one version, from the Georgian Orthodox community, according to another, from the Ethiopians. The temple has two altars: the northern altar is dedicated to the Prudent Thief; main, central, - to the queen of St. Helena and her contemporary St. Gregory the Illuminator. According to Armenian legend, when St. Gregory, after a long feat of prayer, came to venerate the Holy Sepulcher, and was honored by the descent of the Holy Fire.
The small cross-domed temple (20x13 m) was originally the crypt of the basilica of Emperor Constantine. The dome in the center is supported by 4 ancient monolithic columns; the vaults were erected no earlier than the 12th century. The plane of the floor between the columns is covered with mosaics, the subjects of which are taken from the history of Armenia.
A special niche and stone seat in the temple mark the place behind the altar dedicated to St. Helena, where the queen sat during the excavations.
There are 3 unquenchable lamps burning in the window.
Church of St. Helena with 13 steps.
On the right you can see the entrance down... Church of St. Helena is connected to the Catholic Church of the Finding of the Cross, located at the lowest point of the entire temple complex. Behind the stone throne stands on a high pedestal a large bronze statue of St. Helena with the Cross she found in her hands, donated by the Austrian Archduke Maximilian.
In the right corner of the aisle, under a low-hanging rock, lies a small marble slab with a white 8-pointed orthodox. cross on a black background, indicating the place where the Honest Tree was discovered.
Inside the temple, opposite the entrance, lies the Stone of Anointing, covered with a red marble polished slab (30 cm thick), on the sides of which Greek is carved around the perimeter. text of the troparion of St. Joseph of Arimathea (“Noble Joseph”). The corresponding Gospel text (John 19. 38-40) is written in Greek on a marble plaque hanging on the right. The descent from the Cross, the anointing of the body with incense and the position in the tomb are depicted on a large mosaic panel, stylized as a Byzantine pattern, on the wall directly behind the Stone of Anointing (the mosaic was made with the blessing of Patriarch Diodorus in 1990 by V. Tsotsonis). Above the Stone there are 8 lamps (4 Greek, 2 Armenian, 1 Latin, 1 Coptic).
In the photo, a Coptic monk lights a lamp.
There is no evidence reaching us about exactly where the body of the Lord was prepared for burial. But already from the 5th century. In the observance of Good Friday, the rite of Burial of the Shroud is highlighted. In the temple it is performed as follows: the shroud covered with rose petals is carried by six bishops from Golgotha to the Stone of Anointing; after the litany at the Stone, the shroud is solemnly transferred with a threefold litany around the Edicule and placed on the Triday Bed, then taken to the altar of the catholicon.
Courtyard of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
Servants of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, guards.
The facade of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher from the entrance (south side) is a typical work of Romanesque architecture of the 12th century. In the double lunettes of the portal there were originally marble bas-reliefs depicting “The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem” and “The Burial of the Savior” (transferred for storage to the Rockefeller Museum in Jerusalem).
Queue at the Edicule.
Mosaics of the Katholikon (Church of the Resurrection of the Lord).
Catholicon (Church of the Resurrection of the Lord) in the present day. time they call the “middle” volume of the complex, enclosed by special walls that do not reach the vaults, built after the fire of 1808 (initially the temple complex of the Holy Sepulcher consisted of several separate sanctuaries: the rotunda directly containing the Edicule, Calvary (Orthodox and Catholic) chapels and the cathedral the temple of the Jerusalem Orthodox Patriarchate; the basilica of the crusaders united these objects in a single internal space). The Greek reconstruction changed the composition of the building: in addition to the side walls, a high iconostasis appeared, but from a liturgical point of view, the unity of the temple space was achieved, and the necessary prayer atmosphere for Orthodox worship was created.
The dome of the katholikon, the smaller of the 2 domes of the temple, is located above the western part. Precisely under the dome, on a special vase-stand, there is a marble hemisphere, indicating a place called “mesomphalos” - “the navel of the Earth”. However, if the idea of Jerusalem as the center of the earth and the economy of salvation (Ps 73.12) is 1 thousand years older than Christianity, then the marble flowerpot appeared in the temple no earlier than 1810. The dome contains a mosaic image of the blessing Pantocrator surrounded by the Mother of God, St. John the Baptist, Archangels Michael and Gabriel, 12 saints. Between the 8 windows of the drum, in the niches, there are images of seraphim and cherubs (the mosaic work in the dome of the catholicon was completed in 1994).
The Catholicon is the cathedral of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which is expressed by the presence of 2 throne seats in its eastern part (the thrones of the Patriarch of Jerusalem at the southern pillar and his epitrope, the Metropolitan of Petro-Arabia, at the northern one). Above the iconostasis there is a gallery with three pulpits (small balconies) protruding into the temple, from which the ancient Byzantine side is located. As a rule, the deacon must read the Gospel. All east part of the catholicon, including the iconostasis, soleya with 4 steps, 6 columns on it, north. and south The entrances to the altar are a single ensemble of pink marble.
The catholicon, like the rotunda, is surrounded by spacious galleries, which house several chapels. In the north In the gallery of the temple there is a place called the Arcades of the Virgin: huge tetrahedral pillars supporting high arches, interspersed with columns, between which stands out a white marble fragment of the imperial building. Adriana. It is assumed that of the 7 columns, the 4 central ones belong to the Triporticus of Constantine.
Edicule
Entrance to Edicule. A Greek monk keeps order.
The Edicule (8.3×5.9 m) consists of two parts: the western, hexagonal in plan (2.07×1.93 m), where the Holy Sepulcher is located, and the eastern (3.4×3.9 m) , where the Angel's chapel is located. A pedestal with a part of the sacred stone rolled away by an angel is located in the middle of the chapel and serves as a throne during the performance of the bishop's liturgy. Liturgy at the Holy Sepulcher (in this case the Triday Bed itself becomes the altar). The chapel has 15 lamps in three rows - according to the number of main confessions. In the northern and southern walls there are oval windows for the transfer of the Holy Fire on Holy Saturday (the southern one is for Armenians, the northern one is for Orthodox Christians). The entrance from the Angel's chapel to the Cave of the Holy Sepulcher is decorated with a marble portal. On the left at the entrance are depicted the myrrh-bearing women, on the right is the Archangel Gabriel stretching out his hand to them (according to the inscription), at the top of the portal is a marble canopy with an inscription in Greek, reproducing the words of the angel: “Why are you looking for the living among the dead? He is not here, He has risen."
The cave of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is a small chamber, almost half occupied on the right by a stone bed covered with a marble transenna slab. The slab appeared in Edicule in 1555. Maxim Simeos, who was the last to see the Savior’s stone bed without a slab covering it in 1810, testified that it was severely damaged by the unreasonable jealousy of countless “God-lovers” who strove to break off, bite off, and take away a particle at any cost. shrines. In the western part of the slab, due to the zeal of the pilgrims, a noticeable depression was formed. On the marble shelf running along the sides of the Triday Bed, there are three icons of the Resurrection - from each of the Christian confessions. The ktitor inscription above the door names the creator of Edicule - the Greek architect N. Komninos, who was tortured by the Turks in Constantinople during the Morean uprising on Easter 1821.
In the western part, the Chapel of the Head, belonging to the Coptic Church, is attached to the edicule. According to legend, the second angel sat here (“at the head”) (John 20:12). According to Armenian sources, the chapel was built by the king of Cilician Armenia Etum II in 1300. Subsequently, the Armenians gave this chapel to the Copts, receiving in return one of the monasteries in Egypt. Coptic monks cite a legend that during the reconstruction of the edicule in 1810, the niche of the Holy Bed was truncated in the western part, so that the place where the head of the Savior rested ended up in the Coptic chapel. Since Byzantine times, a small throne existed on this site. The Crusaders called the chapel "cavet" ("head" in Norman dialect) because it was located at the head of the Edicule. In 1810, the Greeks reconstructed the Edicule without the Copts. chapel, restored thirty years later at the direction of the then ruler of Palestine, Ibrahim Pasha, son of the Egyptian Khedive Muhammad Ali.
As it says Scripture The Church of the Holy Sepulcher was built on the site of Jesus' crucifixion. It was here, according to legend, that he was buried and then miraculously resurrected. This place is one of the most important for Christians around the world.
The history of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is very ancient. The very first church here was built by the mother of Emperor Constantine named Helen, who converted to Christianity at an advanced age. Where the famous Church of the Holy Sepulcher is located today, in those days there was a temple of one of the pagan goddesses - Venus. Entering his dungeon, Elena was the first to discover the entrance to the cave in which the Holy Sepulcher and the cross - the crucifixion of the Savior - were located.
Over the centuries, the Church of the Resurrection of Christ was destroyed and reconstructed more than once, and also came under the jurisdiction of either Muslim or Christian rulers. In 1810, the church was restored after a terrible fire.
Nowadays the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem has three parts: the Church of the Resurrection, the Church of Calvary and the Chapel of the Holy Sepulcher. This territory is divided between the Armenian, Syrian, Greek Orthodox, Coptic, Ethiopian and, of course, Roman Catholic denominations according to an 1852 agreement. Each of these faiths prays in the temple at a strictly defined time for it. To prevent conflicts, the keys to the temple building have been kept in the Muslim family since the 12th century, where they are inherited by the eldest son. Any changes to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher can only be made with the general consent of representatives of all faiths.
Excursion to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher
All local excursions begin at the central arched entrance, next to which on the marble floor lies the so-called Stone of Confirmation. It shows Nicodemus and Joseph anointing Jesus' body with oils before burial. The Temple of the Resurrection begins immediately behind the Stone. To the left of the stone is located central part Church - Rotunda - a round room with columns and a dome. The light of the sun penetrates into the opening of this dome of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and on the eve of Easter - Holy Fire. The dome depicts 12 rays, symbolizing the 12 apostles, and the division of each of the rays into three parts is a symbol of the triune God.
The Rotunda houses the Edicule of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This marble chapel is divided into two parts: the first is the Holy Sepulcher, and the second is the so-called Angel Chapel. Through the windows of the latter, the Holy Fire is transmitted, descending to all parishioners on the eve of Holy Easter.
The Holy Sepulcher itself is a small cave, in which 3-4 people can hardly fit. According to legend, the body of Christ rested on this funeral bed. On the walls of the Holy Sepulcher hang Catholic and Armenian icons depicting the resurrection of Christ the Savior and the Virgin Mary with a baby in her arms.
Another shrine of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ is, of course, Golgotha. There were three crosses here. The places of two of them, on which the robbers were executed, are circled in black circles, and the place of the third cross, on which Christ himself was executed, is circled in a silver circle. The top of Golgotha is divided into Catholic and Orthodox parts, in each of which there are church services. An ancient staircase leads to modern Golgotha.
In the center of the third part of the temple, which is called the Temple of the Resurrection, there is a stone vase, symbolizing the “navel of the earth.” It was in this place that God created Adam. It is believed that it was in the dungeon of the Church of the Resurrection that Queen Helen saw the cross. The icons located in the Temple of the Resurrection tell the story of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.
The domes of the Jerusalem Temple are decorated with mosaics with images Mother of God, Christ the Savior, Archangels Michael and Gabriel, John the Baptist, seraphim and cherubim.
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Israel today is the holy center of the Christian religion, to which numerous believers from all over the world make a pilgrimage every year.
