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| Photos taken by Gila
in July 2020 when the Church of the Holy Sepulcher
reopened. On the day of her visit there were
less than five people in the church, all offering
silent prayers. The sepulcher itself was
closed and access to the Chapel of St Helena and the
Chapel of the Finding of the Cross was denied as
well. But one could walk around the Aedicule
in the Rotunda and climb up to Calvary (the
Golgotha). |
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Photo: Gila
Yudkin |
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Entrance to the Church of the Holy
Sepulcher (normally teeming with pilgrims) |
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Photo: Gila
Yudkin |
| The passageway
towards the viewer (left foreground) leads to the
Aedicule or The Sepulcher. The stairs down to
the Chapel of St Helena and the Chapel of the
Finding of the Cross are beyond the three lights in
the background. Up to the right is the Calvary
or Golgotha, the site of crucifixion. |
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Photo: Gila
Yudkin |
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The sisters are facing the
Aedicule which encloses the Sepulcher which is
Station Number Fourteen of the Stations of the Cross |
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Photo: Gila
Yudkin |
| The Chapel of Adam
is directly below the Golgotha (Calvary).
Inside the square glass window you can see a split
in the rock, evidence of the earthquake which
occurred when Jesus yielded up his spirit. It
is believed that at this time Adam's grave, here,
opened and a drop of blood from Jesus fell upon the
skull of the first man. Very often in
Renaissance paintings of the Crucifixion, there is a
skull on the bottom left with a drop of blood on its
forehead. |
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Photo: Gila
Yudkin |
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Altar of the Crucifixion, Station
Number Twelve, belonging to the Greek Orthodox |
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Photo: Gila
Yudkin |
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Roman Catholic Chapel of the
Nailing of the Cross, Station Number Eleven |
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Photo: Gila
Yudkin |
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Medallion of the Ascension in the
mosaic ceiling of the Chapel of the Nailing of the
Cross is the only original mosaic from the Crusader
period, 12th century |
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Photo: Gila
Yudkin |
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In the foreground under the oil
lamps is the Stone of Anointing marking where
Jesus'
body
was anointed with myrrh and aloes after he died on
the Cross |
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Photo: Gila
Yudkin |
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Greek Orthodox Catholicon or
Choir, believed to be built over the garden
and venerated by Greek Orthodox pilgrims as the
center of the universe |
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Photo: Gila
Yudkin |
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In 2019, on Holy Saturday (between
Good Friday and Easter Sunday) when the Ceremony of
the Holy Fire is celebrated, there were upwards of
7,000 pilgrims in this courtyard outside the church,
waiting for the Patriarch to emerge with the holy
fire. |
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Copyright 2020 Gila Yudkin. Permission
needed for any reuse. |
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