GALLERIES
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COUNTRIES, CULTURES, HISTORY / Israel, Holy Land, Palestina / Jerusalem / Holy Sepulchre
The Church of Holy Sepulchre is the most sacred site to Orthodox Christianity in Jerusalem. It was called Golgotha, from the Hebrew world "golgolet" or "skul", wich is what the hill resembled.
And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Holy Sepulcher ist most sacred space, Holy Sepulchre is a most sacred space,
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
Luke 23/33,34
The original Byzantine church was destroyed by the Persians in 614 A.D. Rebuilt shortly thereafter, the Egyptian caliph al-Hakim destroyed the church in 1009 and had the tomb hacked down to bedrock.
The Crusaders rebuilt the church and much of what is standing today is from that time period. The ladder in the upper right window has been there since at least 1860, a testimony to rivalries between the church's factions.
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Stone of the Unction
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The Annoninting Stone- Here tradition has it that Jesus was laid when he was taken down from the cross.
His body was sprinkled with a mixture of myrrh and aloe and he was mourned by his mother before being laid in the tomb. |
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Golgotha Chapel.
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Golgotha Chapel. Church of the Holy Sepulchre. – The Golgotha of today, accessible by step steps, has two chapels side by side, one Roman Catholic and the other Greek Orthodox. On the Roman side are two Stations: where Jesus was stripped of his garments and where he was nailed to the cross. On the Greek side, the 12th Station: where Jesus died on the cross. Under the altar can be seen the top of the rocky outcrop with a silver market where it is believed the cross stood. In between two is the Stabat Mater (Sorrowful Mother) in remembrance of Mary’s agony at her son’s death.
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