Located within the old city walls of Jerusalem, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is one of the holiest places in Christianity. Church, St. It is located on Golgotha Hill, which is considered the place where Jesus was crucified and killed. The reason why its name is “Church of the Holy Sepulcher” is because of Hz. It is believed that Jesus was buried here. The other name of the church is Resurrection Church. Because, according to Christian belief, Hz. Jesus was resurrected three days after he was buried here and ascended to heaven after living among his apostles for 40 days. Also, St. It is believed to be the place where Jesus will be resurrected. For this reason, the church is considered an important pilgrimage site for Christians.
Today, the Church serves as the center of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem and is used jointly by churches such as the Catholic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church, the Syriac Ancient Orthodox Church, the Coptic Church of Alexandria and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church of Unity. The person who carried out the construction of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was St. Helena, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine. Helena, who came to Jerusalem in 326, had two important churches built. One of them is St. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher, symbolizing the tomb of Jesus, is the other. It is the “Church of the Nativity” representing the Nativity of Christ.
Hz. Jesus’ Path of Passion
The road to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is called “Via Dolorosa” in Latin. This name is St. It means “the way of suffering” of Jesus. According to the Christian belief, St. Jesus, carrying his cross on his back, walked this road called Via Dolorosa, and when he came to Calvary Hill in Jerusalem, he was crucified and buried here. Via Dolorosa is approximately 450-500 meters long and consists of 14 sections. Chapter 14 is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher, only St. It does not contain the tomb of Jesus. In addition, the King of Jerusalem I. Baudouin, who declared the Kingdom of Jerusalem after the I. Crusade, II. Baudouin, III. Baudouin, IV. The tombs of Baudouin, V. Baudouin, Godefroy de Bouillon and Fulk are also located in this church.
After Saladin’s conquest of Jerusalem in 1187, in 1192, the keys to the church of the Holy Sepulcher were given to a Muslim family due to a disagreement between Orthodox and Catholics. Salahaddin Eyyubi took this decision in order to prevent conflict between the parties. However, the keys of the Nativity Church were given to Catholic priests during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. Later, in the 1630s, the keys were given to the Orthodox and remained in the hands of the Orthodox until the reign of Sultan Abdülmecid.
Staircase in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher
In the courtyard of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem there is a small staircase in one of the upper windows. The story of this staircase is quite interesting: During the reign of Sultan Abdülmecid, Catholics and Orthodox disagreed over the church key. Thereupon, Sultan Abdülmecid decided to give the key to a Muslim family. While the edict was being read in the churchyard, an Armenian maid cleaning the window came downstairs to hear the edict.
Since that day, Armenians have been claiming their right to the church of the holy grave thanks to this ladder. The staircase, which has been there since the reign of Sultan Abdülmecid, was changed from time to time as it rotted, but it always remained in the same place. Located in the courtyard of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, this staircase is a monument that witnessed the historical conflicts between different communities and is still the center of attention today.
Sacred Fire Rite
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is one of the most important places for Christians and hosts many important rites. One of them is the sacred fire ritual. Every year, Orthodox Christians come to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, passing through Via Dolorosa on the Saturday before Easter.
After entering the church under the leadership of a priest, Hz. We go to the section where Jesus’ tomb is located, where candles are lit with the sacred fire inside the tomb. Everyone competes with each other to light the candle in their hand with holy fire, believing that it has descended from the sky. Meanwhile, bells are rung and prayers are said. Candles are extinguished at the end of the ritual. This ritual, according to the Christian belief, Hz. It relates to the resurrection of Jesus and is therefore of great importance.
Another important place in the church of the holy grave for Christians is Hz. It is the wood believed to have been prepared by washing the body of Jesus after he was crucified. This board, according to the Christian belief, Hz. It plays an important role in the resurrection of Jesus and the forgiveness of people’s sins. Christians who come to the church of the holy grave pray in front of this board and Hz. They renew their belief in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Some Christians, They feel blessed by rubbing or touching the wood on which Jesus was bathed.
Church of All Nations in Jerusalem
The official name of the church, which was built on the slopes of the Mount of Olives, is the “Church of All Nations in Jerusalem”. However, the other name of the church is the “Church of Pain”, because according to the Christian belief, Hz. Before Jesus was captured by Roman soldiers, he sat on the stone of suffering in the place where the church was built and said his last prayer.
The church was built on the foundations of a Catholic chapel built in the 4th century. Damaged in an earthquake in 746, the chapel was completely abandoned in 1345. The foundations of the chapel were found as a result of archaeological studies in the 20th century and the church was built on it between 1919-1924. The church is referred to as the church of all nations as it was built with the financial help of 12 Catholic countries.
