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Glise Du Saint Spulcre (Jrusalem)

Main entrance Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

The Holy Sepulchre in 1910.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher , also called the Basilica of the Resurrection (in Greek : , in Georgia : in Arabic : , in Armenian : , by Eastern Christians , is a Christian church located in the Old City of Jerusalem. This place is considered a holy place for a large part of many Christians who go on pilgrimage. It is a sanctuary encompassing the site of the crucifixion ( Golgotha ) and the cave where the body of Christ was laid after his death (The Holy Sepulchre or Tomb of Jesus). By inference that is allegedly took place the Resurrection (Anastasis in Greek "Resurrection"). The church became an important place of pilgrimage from the ^fourth century.

/ / History

Church of Constantine

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, cutaway view of the Rotunda

Site map ^fourth century , in blue with the basilica of Constantine

The Holy Sepulchre, which flies the flag of England ( Cross of Saint George ), and the minaret to the left of the Mosque of Omar.

Eusebius describes in his Life of Constantine (Vita Constantini) how the site of the Holy Sepulchre, which became a place of worship for the Christian community in Jerusalem was covered eventually land on which we built a pagan temple dedicated to Venus. Although Eusebius of Caesarea does not say much, it is possible that this is part of Jerusalem rebuilt by Hadrian in 135 and renamed Aelia Capitolina , after the suppression of the Jewish Revolt of 70 and Bar Kokhba revolt of 132 - 135.

The Emperor Constantine ordered to 325 / 326 that the ancient site was discovered and asked Macarius of Jerusalem to build a church in the same place was crucified and buried Christ.

The Pilgrim of Bordeaux (Itinerarium burdigalensis) reported the following facts in 333 : "There, now, on the order of Emperor Constantine, a basilica was built, that is to say, a church of wondrous beauty, having at his side tanks which shoots water and a basin in the rear, where little children are baptized " ^{The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Middle Ages}

Plan of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as it existed at the time of arrival of the Crusaders. In reviewing the plan from A to B, there are traces of the apse of Constantine, only remnants of the original construction. This apsidal wall is made at the expense of the rock, the land having been cleared to bring out the stone block containing the tomb of Jesus Christ, E. After the destruction of the basilica of Constantine, under Chosroes II , Modeste had been content to confine the building, closing the anterior part of G in H, so as to compose a rotunda. The chapels I, K, L, M, were added later. On Golgotha, O, was elevated to a new chapel, then P a small basilica next to the pool S, where the wooden cross had been found. Part A was a leftover from the Basilica of Constantine.

The splendor of the Constantinian buildings on the grounds of the Garden of Golgotha lasted from 335 to 614.

The building was damaged by fire in 614 when the troops Persians of Khosro II , led by General Romizane (nicknamed Schahr-Baraz , the royal boar), invaded and captured Jerusalem the True Cross.

The Patriarch of Alexandria Eutyches wrote in his annals: "The Emperor Chosroes II sent his general Schahrbaraz ... It destroys the churches of Constantine, that of Calvary and the Holy Sepulchre and destroyed much of the city. "

In 630 , Emperor Heraclius , who defeated the Persians marched triumphantly into Jerusalem and restored the True Cross to the rebuilt Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

The first building could be repaired because the buildings, while being severely damaged, however, were left standing.

Patriarch Modeste reuse materials from the church to build a monument less imposing.

Among the novelties in the restoration of Modeste should indicate coverage of Calvary by a cross vault.

The pilgrim Christian Arculf has made patterns from wax tablets. Through his work was a description of the Block 680 and a plan .

Under the dynasty Abbasid

In 638 the arrival of the Arab conquerors did not lead to specific changes in the sanctuary.

Under Muslim rule it remained a Christian church. The first laws Muslim sites protected the Christians from the city and in particular the Holy Sepulchre. They include prohibiting their destruction and their use as a dwelling place.

Here's how Eutychius , Patriarch of Alexandria, describes the events surrounding the Arab conquest: " Umar ibn al-Khattab and his generals went to Syria to Jerusalem to besiege the city. The Patriarch of Jerusalem Sophronius went to Omar ibn al-Khattab, who gave his protection to the inhabitants of the city after a letter delivered to the patriarch. Omar ibn al-Khattab] guarantees the protection of Christian sites and ordered his men not to destroy these sites or use them as homes. "

Eutychius relates the story of Omar ibn al-Khattab visited the Church of the Resurrection and stopped to sit on his porch, but at the time of prayer, he left the church and gave praying outside. He feared that future generations will interpret this gesture, taking it as a pretext to transform the church into a mosque. Eutychius added that Omar ibn al-Khattab had written a decree forbidding Muslims to come together in this place to pray.

The second church was destroyed by an earthquake in 746.

In the early ^ninth century an earthquake damaged the dome of the Anastasis. Damage was restored in 810 by Patriarch Thomas.

In 841 , the church suffered a fire.

In 935 the Christians were able to prevent a mosque being built in a location juxtaposed to the Basilica.

In 938 New fire. The fire blew into the Basilica, in the aprotic and even in the Anastasis.

In 966 , due to a defeat of Muslim armies in Syria, a riot broke out and was followed by reprisals. The basilica was again burned. The doors and the roof burned, the patriarch was murdered. But all these disasters abmrent mostly wooden structures. The damage could be repaired at great sacrifice on the part of the Christian community, the latter immersed in poverty.

Author Dynasty Fatimid

When Egyptian Fatimid caliphs took Jerusalem in 969 , the situation of Christians became more precarious.

At the beginning of the reign of the Fatimid dynasty, especially under the reign of Caliph Al-Aziz , yet they were given considerable freedom.

But the 18 October 1009 , the original building of the Holy Sepulchre was completely destroyed by the caliph Fatimid and Shiite Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah.

The Edicule the east and west walls and the roof of the tomb sheltered and carved into the rock were destroyed or damaged (contemporary versions vary), but the north and south walls were luckily saved by the debris caused by the magnitude of damage.

The Arab historian Ibn Sa'id Yahia described it thus:

"They took all the furniture that were in the church and destroyed it completely, they left only what the destruction was very difficult. They also destroyed the Calvary and the Church of St. Constantine and everything was nearby, and they tried to remove the remains sacred. This destruction began on Tuesday, five days before the end of the month of Saffar (August 15, 1009). "

Also called the "mad caliph, Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah and persecuted Christians for over eleven years outlaws pilgrimages were forbidden to Christians to pray in the ruins. PJ Vatikiotis explains that the hostile attitude taken by al-Haakim could be explained by the historical context in which economic and social life had deteriorated (including the critical 999 to 1005 where a great famine). Amid this troubling situation, several members of the population were extremely disturbed by the growing prosperity of Ahl al-Kitab (Jews and Christians) and their disproportionate power in the state.

The destruction of the Holy Sepulchre provoked strong reactions, often irrational in Europe. For example, the monk of the Abbey of Cluny , Raoul Glaber , accused Jews of being the cause of these misfortunes. The result was that the Jews were expelled from Limoges and many other French cities. Finally, this destruction is one of the causes of the crusades to come and especially that used by the Pope Urban II in 1095 calling for Christians to liberate the Holy Sepulchre.

It was only several years after the Christians were allowed to rebuild the shrine. This was the result of a peace treaty between the Byzantine emperor Romanus III Argyre and successor of al-Hakim. After the death of al-Hakim, the pilgrimages recommenced. We rebuilt the Holy Sepulchre and many churches. Groups of pilgrims came from Europe regularly. Reconstruction had probably occurred between 1030 and 1048. Work began in the reign of Emperor Constantine IX.

A series of small chapels was erected on the site in 1048 , but following strict conditions imposed by the caliphate.

The architects of the Empire, upon their arrival in Jerusalem, determined unable to restore everything that was built by Constantine.

Byzantine architects fled the rotunda above the Sepulchre, but they do not rebuilt the huge basilica of Constantine the Great, who went to Calvary to the great market street. They decided to keep only the Anastasis, by attaching a large apse at the east and several chapels on the ground instead of the garden instead of the Martyrium. An upper gallery was added in the rotunda. The work was completed between 1042 and 1048. During this reconstruction the eastern porch, the Martyrium and the Portico of the garden disappeared.

The site remained in ruins until the arrival of the Crusaders.

Despite these changes, the new architecture had an artistic style of high quality. Mosaics covered the walls and the dome. The Abbot Russian Daniel , who visited Jerusalem at the time, gave a description:

"The Church of the Resurrection is round in shape and supported on twelve monolithic columns and six pilasters. The floor is made of beautiful marble slabs. It has six gates and galleries featuring twelve columns representing the holy prophets are under the beautiful mosaics on the ceiling and the galleries. "The altar is surmounted by an icon of Christ. Above the main altar, there is a mosaic representing the exaltation of Adam. The Ascension of Christ is represented in the apse. The Annunciation to the two neighboring pillars of the altar. The dome of the church is not closed by a stone vault, but by beams of wood, interlaced with each other. The church has an opening at its top. The Holy Sepulcher is placed under the dome opened.

The Young Muslim Nasir-I Khusraw described as the Holy Sepulchre in 1047 : "The present church is a very large building that can hold 8,000 people. The building is very cleverly constructed colored marbles, with ornamentation and sculptures. Inside, the church is everywhere adorned with Byzantine embroidery worked with gold and paintings. And they have depicted Jesus - peace be upon him - which is sometimes shown riding a donkey. There are also paintings of other prophets, Abraham , for example, and Ishmael and Isaac , and Jacob with his son - peace be upon them all ... In the church there is a painting in two parts representing Heaven and Hell. Part shows the saved in heaven, while the other describes the damned in hell with all that is there. Certainly there is no other place on earth with a painting like that. In the church sat a large number of priests and monks who read the Gospel and say prayers, day and night they are occupied in this way. "

During the cross ( 1 099 - 1187 )

The capture of Jerusalem by the Crusaders on 15 July 1099 -Emil Signol, ^nineteenth century , Chateau de Versailles
1. The Holy Sepulchre
2. The Dome of the Rock
3. The Ramparts

The First Crusade was seen as an armed pilgrimage because no cross could not be considered complete if his trip had not made a prayer to the Holy Sepulchre. In effect since 1090, the Turks, who took possession of the premises, persecuted Christians and forbade access. Peter the Hermit witnessed acts of barbarism and atrocities against Christian pilgrims, returned to Countries determined to encourage Europe to "cross" to restore peace in the holy places desecrated. In 1096 occurred the Crusade "beggars" who was a failure. It was not until the arrival of the Crusaders Knights who took over the site during the First Crusade July 15, 1099. They then undertook its reconstruction.

Here is the story of the capture of Jerusalem by Raymond Aguilers of which, with the usual exaggerations in a chronicle of this kind, demonstrates the importance of the site for the Crusaders: "After taking the town, he was nice to see the devotion of pilgrims to the Tomb of the Lord and how to manifest their joy by singing to God a new song. And offered their heart to God and triumphant winner inexpressible in words of praise ... " .

Tomb of Godfrey of Bouillon in the Holy Sepulchre

The leader of the Crusaders, Godfrey of Bouillon became the first monarch of Jerusalem Latin but decided not to use the title " king "during his life, declaring simply: Advocatus Sancti Sepulchre ( "Declared (Protector or Ombudsman) of the Holy Sepulchre " ). He then took the title of Baron. He did not wear a crown of gold on the place where Christ had worn a crown of thorns. In addition, the clerks felt that the holy place belonged to the Church and they should form a sort of ecclesiastical lordship the Crusaders were defenders lay.

In 1100 , Albert of Aix wrote of Godfrey of Bouillon when taking Jerusalem in June 1099 : "While all Christian people

The chronicler William of Tyre relates the reconstruction of the Holy Sepulchre (see diagram) in the middle of the ^twelfth century. The Crusaders rnovrent church in the style book and it added a steeple.

They restored the dome of the Byzantine church and the crypt of St. Helena. In 1144 , the courtyard is melted in a monument-style novel consists of a domed basilica, the church between St. Helena and the Rotunda. Since that time, the church of the Holy Sepulchre has two domes, and the five most sacred sites of Christianity is sheltered. The Holy Sepulchre was rebuilt following the plan of the Cross. July 15, 1149 is devoted chorus of crusaders, which replaces the old open-air courtyard connects the rotunda in the Church of Constantine.

For the inauguration of the new basilica is carved inscriptions in gold letters on the bronze door. It read: "This holy place has been consecrated by the blood of Christ, our own consecration can not add anything to his holiness. But the tall buildings around the shrine and above was dedicated on July 15 by Patriarch Fulcher in the fourth year of his patriarchate and other prelates and the fifth anniversary of the storming of the city that this shone as much time as pure gold. It was in the year 1149 of the birth of Our Lord. "The inauguration took place as the 15 July 1149 , a symbolic date of the taking of Jerusalem by the Crusaders 50 years earlier.

The renovations unified it and the various shrines. These last were made during the reign of Queen Melisende in 1149.

It was during this period that many Christian traditions associated with Jesus' life are imposed, including that of the Via Dolorosa.

No major reconstruction has been undertaken since.

The church became the seat of the first Latin Patriarch and location of the scriptorium of the kingdom.

In the period Ayyubid

The church and the rest of the city were lost to the Crusaders with Saladin. The historian, Imad al-Din also wrote here that the Franks envisaged a collective martyrdom in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

From that time, Christians are forbidden to stay, with the exception of Eastern Christians, who are responsible for the maintenance of the Holy Sepulchre. Nevertheless, a treaty drawn up after the Third Crusade tolerated visiting the site for Christian pilgrims.

While he was excommunicated Emperor Frederick II regained the city and the church following a treaty signed in XIII ^century. This had the curious result of hitting the holiest church in Christendom for forbidden.

In 1244 , the Turks Khwarezmiens plundered Jerusalem, massacred the Christians and devastated the Holy Sepulchre.

Modern Era

In XV ^century during the Ottoman period , conflicts between Muslims and Christians made their appearance. The Holy Sepulchre was once again devastated.

Despite the steady increase of pilgrims since the Middle Ages and in modern times, like Jerusalem, the site was no longer maintained and is deteriorating. Felix Fabri , a Dominican friar German alludes after performing two pilgrimages to the Holy Land, the first in 1480 and the second in 1483 : "The city is in a great state of desolation. Many buildings are destroyed the unfortunate Also, the monks Franciscans brought improvements by renovating in 1555 the Holy Sepulchre. We renovated including plates marble covering the tomb.

In 1648 , the dome was restored. Again threatened to collapse in 1719 , it was consolidated. The mosaic that covered it was fragmented into small pieces that were sold as souvenirs.

Contemporary Period

Plan of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Shrine housing the tomb of Christ inside the Holy Sepulchre

A fire seriously deteriorated again the structure in 1808 and caused the collapse of the dome broke the exterior decorations of the penthouse. The Rotunda and the exterior of the penthouse were rebuilt between 1809 and 1810 by architect Komminos of Mytilene following an architectural style Ottoman Baroque.

The fire does not reach inside the shrine and decorations in marble of the Tomb.

The current dome was built between 1863 and 1868 thanks to financial support of governments French , Russian and Ottoman.

The most important modern renovations began in 1959. Restoration work of the dome were made between 1994 and 1997.

The coating of marble red pressed against the shrine by Komminos has not aged well and is detached from the underlying structure, and since 1947 it is held in place by a metal outer structure installed by the British. No project is planned for renovation.

Description

Map

Position of the tomb of Christ and Golgotha in the Church

A crowd of pilgrims rushed into the main entrance, 1898

The Stone of Unction, we think this is the place where Jesus' body was prepared before his burial. This is the place of the 13th Station of the Cross.

Catholic Mass at the tomb of Christ

The church entrance is a single door located at the transept south. This narrow path for such a large structure has proven to be dangerous sometimes. Indeed, during a fire which broke out in 1840 , a dozen pilgrims were trampled to death. In 1999, the various communities came to an agreement to install a new exit door in the church, but there was never any report made to achieve it.

In 2009, the Holy Sepulchre is divided into five main sections: Golgotha, the Tomb, Basilica, the Corridor and the Crypt of the Cross. Six occupants share it: the Roman Catholics , the Greek Orthodox , the Armenian Apostolic , and Syriac Orthodox , the Coptic and Ethiopian Orthodox. Inside, near the entrance is the Stone of Unction which we think is the place where Jesus' body was prepared before being buried.

The Rotunda of the Anastasis is on the left of the entrance of the Holy Sepulchre just below the larger of the two domes of the church. Located above the tomb of Jesus, the Rotunda is made up of 18 pillars round marble , which support the dome. The pillars are imprisoned in large square blocks to withstand earthquakes. The diameter of the rotunda is 20.9 m and the dome rises to 21.5 m above the ground. In its center is the Edicule the Holy Sepulcher , which houses the tomb of Jesus , including the Chapel of the Angel (of Resurrection).

The status quo gives rights to the Orthodox, the Catholics and to the Armenian Apostolic Church inside the tomb. The three communities can celebrate the Divine Liturgy or Mass every day.

It is also used in other ceremonies for special occasions, including the ceremony of Holy Saturday or even the Orthodox holy fire ceremony celebrated by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem.

A chapel Coptic on the lower west side of the shrine and protected by a lattice of iron, contains a fragment of a semicircular stone carved into an ancient monument visible from the altar that is used by the Coptic Orthodox.

Behind the Rotunda is a chapel cut very irregularly by hand and that was probably the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. It was in this chapel that the Syriac Orthodox celebrate liturgy every Sunday.

To the right of the Sepulchre, on the southeastern part of the Rotunda we can see the Chapel of the Apparition reserved for Catholics.

One of the altars of Calvary.

The arch connects Byzantine Rotunda Construction ^sixth century , to the west and the Crusader church of XII ^century , to the east. On the east side, opposite the Rotunda is the Crusader church that is the main altar of the church and today it is the catholicon Greek Orthodox.

In the Church of St. Helena, the pillars of the ^seventh century support the second smaller dome. The cupola was restored by the Crusaders.

The apse of the church, facing east, was restored in 1850 , then renovated again in the year 1980. The center of the church is marked with a round stone, which represents the Omphalos Mundi, the navel of the world for Christians, in the same way as the Rock of the Foundation on the Temple Mount represents the center of the world Jews.

To the east you can see a large iconostasis which defines the sanctuary Greek Orthodox and formerly the throne and the patriarchal throne for episcopal celebrations.

The Chapel of St. Helena

On the south side of the altar, is accessed via the walkway , a staircase whose steps are covered with marble slabs to avoid damage and leading to the Calvary Chapel (or Golgotha). We think this is the place of the crucifixion of Jesus. This is the most luxuriously decorated the church. The main altar is for the Greek Orthodox and Catholics have an altar nearby. To the east, in the ambulatory there is a staircase leading down to the Chapel of St. Helena and belonging to the Armenians. From there, thirteen steps leading to a chapel window, the Chapel of the Discovery of the Cross , which is the cellar in which the Cross of Jesus and those of the two thieves were found.

Note that the south is divided into several parts: the main gates, the dome and the steeple of Golgotha. The main gates are embellished with carved archivolts leaves of acanthus and medallion. Right portals, the dome of Golgotha overcomes the two-storey building. To the left of the gates, the original six-story tower is now number four. It celebrates the Holy Sepulchre and Christ.

dome of Catholicon

Replicas

There are three replicas of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, one in the United States in Washington and one in France , in Angers , the last in Germany in Gorlitz

References

L'Anonyme de Bordeaux, 333 , page 594, it is the earliest description of a pilgrimage to the Holy Land by a Christian West and going back to the early fourth century
Arculf I, 2-3, 6, 7-8. Cited in: Peters (PA). Jerusalem. Princeton University Press, 1985 , p. 204-206.
Nasir-I Khusraw. Diary of a Journey Through Syria and Palestine. Palestine Pilgrims Text Society, volume 4, 1893. Reprint: New York , AMS Press, 1971, p. 60.
Raymond of Aguilers , Historia Francorum which ceperunt Jerusalem (History of the Franks who conquered Jerusalem), a chronicle written Latin
The Pilgrimage of the Russian Abbot Daniel In The Holy Land. Palestine Pilgrims Text Society, volume 4, 1895. Reprint: New York, AMS Press, 1971, p. 11-15
The Book of the Wanderings of Felix Fabri. New York , AMS Press, 197 1, Vol. 2, p. 262. (Reprinted from: Palestine Pilgrims Text Society, 7-10)