Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem, Israel

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City is one of the holiest places in Christianity. It stands on the site traditionally identified as Golgotha, where Jesus was crucified, and as his tomb; Eastern Christians call it the Church of the Resurrection (Anastasis).

Emperor Constantine built the first church here, consecrated in 335. It was destroyed in 1009 on the orders of the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim, rebuilt in the 11th century and remodelled by the Crusaders, who consecrated their church in 1149; much of what you see today dates from that period and from repairs after a fire in 1808. The building has no single main hall but is a maze of chapels on several levels.

Just inside the entrance is the Stone of Anointing, where Jesus’ body is said to have been prepared for burial. Steep stairs on the right lead up to Calvary (Golgotha), where the top of the rock can be seen under glass. To the left, beneath the great dome of the Rotunda, stands the Aedicule, the small shrine around the tomb, which was restored in 2016–2017. Every year on Orthodox Holy Saturday the ceremony of the Holy Fire takes place here, when the Greek patriarch brings the flame out of the tomb.

Steps behind the Rotunda lead down to the Armenian Chapel of St. Helena and further to the Chapel of the Finding of the Cross, in an old quarry where, according to tradition, Helena found the True Cross.

The church is shared under a centuries-old arrangement known as the Status Quo by the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic (Franciscan) and Armenian churches, with smaller parts held by the Coptic, Ethiopian and Syriac churches. Since the Middle Ages the keys have been kept by Muslim families, who open and close the great door every day.

Entry is free (2026). The church is open daily from early morning until the evening and is always busy, with services going on throughout the day; early morning and evening are quieter. Shoulders and knees should be covered. From the Jaffa Gate it is about a 10-minute walk through the bazaar streets.