*WS26 - the most holy Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Jerusalem, Isreal*
After introducing a very holy mosque in the last chapter, it is time to introduce the most holy church in Christendom.
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is built upon the traditional site of the Crucifixion, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus in Jerusalem. It is thus the most holy shrine within Christendom. We were here for pilgrimage in 2009.
The first church was built in 335 by the Roman Emperor, a monumental edifice, about 180 m by 100 m, dwarfing even the church we see today.
The church we see today dates to a number of periods, having been partially destroyed by fires, earthquakes and wars, and rebuilt on many occasions. It is still a large church with many chapels.
1st, 2nd photos - south entrance; 3rd, 4th - interior; 5th - main dome, 34 m high; 6th - decorative old lamps; 7th - station where Jesus was crucified; 8th - station where Jesus died; 9th - in front of the most sacred chapel: the empty tomb of Jesus; and last photo: long queue (2 hours) to pay homage at the empty tomb of Jesus.
Tomb of Jesus: is this the place it claims to be? Dan Bahat, a non-Christian archeologist and expert in the history of Jerusalem wrote in 1986, “We may not be absolutely certain that this church is the site of Jesus’ burial, but we certainly have no other site that can lay a claim nearly as weighty.”
After introducing a very holy mosque in the last chapter, it is time to introduce the most holy church in Christendom.
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is built upon the traditional site of the Crucifixion, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus in Jerusalem. It is thus the most holy shrine within Christendom. We were here for pilgrimage in 2009.
The first church was built in 335 by the Roman Emperor, a monumental edifice, about 180 m by 100 m, dwarfing even the church we see today.
The church we see today dates to a number of periods, having been partially destroyed by fires, earthquakes and wars, and rebuilt on many occasions. It is still a large church with many chapels.
1st, 2nd photos - south entrance; 3rd, 4th - interior; 5th - main dome, 34 m high; 6th - decorative old lamps; 7th - station where Jesus was crucified; 8th - station where Jesus died; 9th - in front of the most sacred chapel: the empty tomb of Jesus; and last photo: long queue (2 hours) to pay homage at the empty tomb of Jesus.
Tomb of Jesus: is this the place it claims to be? Dan Bahat, a non-Christian archeologist and expert in the history of Jerusalem wrote in 1986, “We may not be absolutely certain that this church is the site of Jesus’ burial, but we certainly have no other site that can lay a claim nearly as weighty.”
No comments:
Post a Comment