Inside the Main Entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and past the bench where the Muslim keeper of the keys sat for so long is the Stone of Anointing, which is also called the Stone of Unction. This stone marks the place where Jesus’ body was prepared for burial after He was taken down from the cross. Description The Stone of Anointing is a flat stone slab that contains a reddish hue throughout its texture. The stone sits about a half meter (foot and a half) off the f

Within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, on the wall past the Stone of Anointing (Stone of Unction) hangs a large Greek mosaic that depicts the events of Jesus after His death on the cross up through His burial. Description Spanning the breadth of the wall that overlooks the Stone of Anointing, the Greek mosaic is an artistic rendering of what the process that the body of Jesus Christ went through after His death. The mosaic depicts three scenes though the mosaic itself is on

Inside the Main Entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and past the bench where the Muslim keeper of the keys sat for so long is the Stone of Anointing, which is also called the Stone of Unction. This stone marks the place where Jesus’ body was prepared for burial after it was taken down from the cross. With the Greek mosaic hanging behind the Stone of Anointing, turning left and moving toward the rotunda, a visitor would come to the Station of the Holy Women. Descripti

Inside the Main Entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and past Stone of Anointing to the left beyond the Station of the Holy Women is the Edicule. This is a free-standing structure that sits under the towering rotunda that houses the tomb where the body of Jesus was laid after the crucifixion and from which Jesus walked after His resurrection. Description The Edicule itself is an ornate structure that covers the actual tomb of Christ. The front façade has arches, colum

The most prominent external architectural features of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre are the two gray domes that sit atop the church. The larger of the domes marks the place of the Rotunda. Underneath the center of the rotunda is The Edicule which houses the empty tomb where Jesus was laid after His crucifixion. Description The Rotunda, also known as Anastasis which is Greek for “resurrection,” is the large dome that gives shelter to the most important site in all of Christ

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre has split ownership. Different parts of the church are controlled by different facets of the Christian faith. The primary denominations in control are the Greek Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Armenian Orthodox. Other believers have the right to use certain parts of the church as well including the Coptic Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox, and Ethiopian Orthodox churches. Description The Katholikon is the central place of worship f

Facing the Edicule where the tomb of Jesus is housed, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre a place of worship for the Greek Orthodox Church in the middle of the church structure. The back wall of the place of worship is divided from the other chapels with a prominent feature called the Iconostasis. This type of construction is common in the Greek Orthodox Church. Officially, the iconostasis in a Greek Orthodox Church is a large, solid screen of icons which is a prominent feature

At the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, when walking from the Edicule where the empty tomb of Jesus is housed and moving into the Katholikon, the Greek Orthodox Church worship area, one of the first features a visitor will notice is the Omphalos. The Greek word, Omphalos, would be translated “naval.” Thus, generally, an omphalos is a stone that has religious significance as marking the center of the world. In Christian medieval tradition, the middle of the world was found where

Inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Rotunda area, the Edicule holds the empty tomb of Jesus. On the opposite side of the entrance to the empty tomb, by way of another entrance, visitors can see the Coptic Chapel. The Coptic Orthodox Church is one of the minor church communities that have access to use certain areas within the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. “Coptic” means “Egyptian” so Christians that have a tie to Egypt or to the church that originated in Alexandria

In the Rotunda section of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, across from the Coptic Chapel which stands on the backside of the Edicule where the empty tomb is housed, the Chapel of Joseph of Arimathea can be found. The chapel is credited to the Syrians though the disagreement with the Armenians over the true ownership has been a source of struggle. Description The Chapel of Joseph of Arimathea, also called the Chapel of St. Joseph of Arimathea and St. Nicodemus, and the Syrian

In the Syrian Chapel, also called the Chapel of Joseph of Arimathea, in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a low, narrow passageway is cut into the side of the wall that leads to two complete 1st Century tombs that tradition holds are the tombs of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. Description The entrance to the two tombs is a hole in the Syrian Chapel that visitors must bend over to make their way through. Down the short corridor cut into the rock is a room that has two comp

Just off the north side of the Rotunda in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene. This marks the place where Mary Magdalene met the resurrected Jesus and conversed with Him. The Chapel is a Franciscan Chapel. Description The two main noticeable aspects of the Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene are the floor designs and the altar with its surrounding artwork. The floor of the Chapel is black and white with geometric shapes. Two prominent parts of the de

Just off the north side of the Rotunda in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre past the Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene is the Chapel of the Apparition. This marks the event where Jesus appeared to Mary, His mother, after His resurrection. The Chapel is a Franciscan Chapel and is reserved only for Roman Catholic use. Description Compared to some of the other chapels, this chapel is in a larger room. A set of double bronze doors leads from the Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene to the Chap

When touring the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a visitor can pass through the Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene and will come upon the Arches of the Virgin. These arches commemorate Mary, the mother of Jesus visiting the tomb where Jesus had been placed after His crucifixion but before His resurrection. Description The corridor is rather dark and runs along the northern wall of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The floor is a patchwork of stones, some of which have been cracked th

When touring the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a visitor can pass through the Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene and will come upon the Arches of the Virgin. Just past these arches is the Prison of Christ. This is the place where Jesus was imprisoned with the other two men who were set to be executed as they awaited the time for them to be crucified. Description The corridor past the Arches of the Virgin leads to another smaller arch that displays two freestanding columns. Just bey

When touring the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a visitor can pass through the Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene and will come upon the Arches of the Virgin. Just past these arches is the Prison of Christ. This is the place where Jesus was imprisoned with the other two men who were set to be executed as they awaited the time for them to be crucified. Description The corridor past the Arches of the Virgin leads to another smaller arch that displays two freestanding columns. Just bey

Within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a hallway from the Crusader era along the eastern side houses several small chapels that mark significant events on the crucifixion. These chapels include the Chapel of the Division of the Raiment which is an Armenian chapel. This chapel recalls that the soldiers drew lots, rather than tearing the cloth, to see who would keep the garments of Jesus Christ. Description Approaching the Chapel of the Division of the Raiment, a worshipper w

Within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a hallway from the Crusader era along the eastern side houses several small chapels that mark significant events on the crucifixion. Next to the Chapel of the Division of the Raiment is a set of stairs that descend to the much bigger Chapel of St. Helena. The chapel is controlled by the Armenian Orthodox Church. To the Armenian Church, the chapel is referred to as The Chapel of St. Gregory. Biography St. Helena was the mother of Consta

Within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Chapel of Derision is included on the hallway that also holds the Chapel of the Division of the Raiment and the Chapel of St. Longinus. The Chapel of Derision is a Greek Orthodox chapel. Description Fashioned much like the Chapel of St. Longinus, this Greek Orthodox chapel has a short white wall that divides the chapel from the hallway. The doorway of the wall has two golden doors that open to allow entrance. The steps for the entr

Within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Chapel of St. Helena has a set of stairs descending to the Chapel of the Finding of the Cross. This is where it is believed that St. Helena found the parts of the cross and the nails that was used to crucify Jesus. Description To the right of the main altar in the Chapel of St. Helena is a set of stairs that goes down to the Chapel of the Finding of the Cross. Once the 13 steps are navigated, the visitor steps into a room that has