The Church of the Holy Sepulchre — Calvary, the Tomb and the Immovable Ladder, all under one roof
I am the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Under my roof he was crucified, buried and — by the faith of billions — raised, all within a few steps of one another.
I stand where tradition places Golgotha, and beside it a tomb cut into the rock. Once this was a hill outside the city wall; then the wall was moved, a church was raised over me, torn down, rebuilt, burned, rebuilt again — and still I sit on the same stone.
Inside me the holy places crowd close together: the Stone of Anointing, where pilgrims kneel and press cloths to the marble; the stairway up to Calvary; and at my very heart, the Aedicule — the little chapel over the Tomb, with a line waiting at its door from every corner of the world. At Easter the Holy Fire descends here.
Six churches share me: Greek Orthodox, Catholic, Armenian, Coptic, Syriac, Ethiopian — and they share so jealously that for centuries the keys to my door have been kept by a Muslim family, so that none of the six can outmanoeuvre the rest. On a cornice above the entrance, a wooden ladder has stood for two hundred years: it cannot be moved without the consent of all six, and so it simply stays. A monument to how hard people find it to agree, even at the holiest of places.
That's really what I'm about: you can believe in one and the same resurrection and still be unable to share a ladder — and there, in a nutshell, is the human being.
That was the voice of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
What it is. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the holiest site in Christianity, in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City, on the traditional site of Christ's crucifixion (Calvary/Golgotha), burial and resurrection. Inside are the Stone of Anointing, Calvary, and the Aedicule over the Tomb. Six denominations share the church under a long-standing "status quo"; the keys are traditionally held by a Muslim family; and on the facade is the famous "immovable ladder".
Where it is. The Christian Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City, at the end of the Via Dolorosa.
Practical information
- Address
- Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Christian Quarter, Old City, Jerusalem.
- Getting there
- On foot through the Old City — easiest from the Jaffa Gate or New Gate, following the narrow lanes and the signs to the Holy Sepulchre. The shortest approach is along the Via Dolorosa, which leads right to the church door.
- Opening hours
- Open daily, roughly early morning until evening (hours shift with the season); entry is free. Come early to beat the crowds — by midday the line for the Aedicule can be an hour or more. Dress modestly (shoulders and knees covered).
- When to go
- Early morning, right at opening — fewest people and the quietest light. On major Christian feast days it is extraordinarily crowded.
Questions & answers
What is inside the church?▼
Calvary (Golgotha, the site of the crucifixion), the Stone of Anointing, and the Aedicule — the chapel over the Tomb of Christ. This is held to be the place of the crucifixion, the burial and, in Christian belief, the resurrection.
Why do several churches share it?▼
Six denominations share it under a 'status quo' agreement. The rivalries run so deep that the keys have been kept for centuries by a Muslim family, and the 'immovable ladder' on the facade cannot be moved without all six agreeing.
Is there an entry fee, and how should I dress?▼
Entry is free. Dress modestly — shoulders and knees covered. This is the holiest site in Christianity.
When are the queues shortest?▼
Early morning, right at opening. By day the line for the Aedicule (the chapel over the Tomb) can take an hour or more; Christian feast days are the most crowded of all.
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