Church of the Holy Sepulchre

This is the holiest place for Christians in

Jerusalem as it is where they believe Isa (upon

him be peace) [Jesus] was crucified. This

concept is rejected by Muslims who believe Isa

(upon him be peace) did not die but was taken

up to the heavens by Allah (Glorified and Exalted

is He) and will return towards the end of time.

Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) tells us in

the Quran in Surah Nisa: “That they said (in

boast), ‘We killed Isa, son of Mary, The

Messenger of Allah.; But they killed him not,

nor crucified him. Only a likeness of that was

shown to them. And those who differ therein

are full of doubts, with no knowledge, but only

conjecture to follow, for a surety they killed

him not. Nay, Allah raised him unto Himself,

and Allah is Exalted in Power,

Wise.” [4:157-158]

Muslims peacefully took control over the city of

Jerusalem from the Byzantines in February 638

CE. Caliph Umar (may Allah be pleased with

him) accepted the city’s surrender from

Sophronius, the Patriarch of Jerusalem. He

was shown around the church during which the

time for salat occurred. The Patriarch offered a

place for him to pray in the church and laid out

a straw mat but Umar (may Allah be pleased

with him) refused, explaining to the Patriarch,

“Had I prayed inside the church, the Muslims

coming after me would take possession of it,

saying that I had prayed in it.” Tradition has it

that he picked up a stone, threw it outside and

prayed at the spot it landed. The present

Mosque of Umar was built over this place by

Salahuddin Ayyubi’s son Afdhal Ali in 1193 CE.

The earliest known Christian church on this

site dates from before 66 CE, but the area was

levelled by the Roman Emperor Hadrian, who

then raised a temple to Aphrodite here in 135

CE, following the Second Jewish Revolt. After

his conversion to Christianity, the Emperor

Constantine dispatched his mother Helena to

the Holy Land in 326 CE to establish the true

locations of Christian holy sites. Since it was

standard practice to build temples on sites

held sacred to other religions, especially

subversive ones, Hadrian’s construction of the

temple to Aphrodite here led Helena to identify

the site as the location of the supposed

crucifixion and burial.

The church is built on Golgotha, the Hill of

Cavalry where the crucifixion was to be carried

out. In the time of Isa (upon him be peace)

this site was actually outside Jerusalem’s

walls.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre has long

been the subject of interdenominational

disputes. Six Christian denominations – the

Latins (Roman Catholics), Greek Orthodox,

Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox

(Jacobites), Ethiopians and Copts own

different parts of the church and there are

regular, and sometimes violent skirmishes as

each vies to maintain their territory. Repairs

are especially problematic; the restoration work

following the 1927 earthquake wasn’t

completed until 1988, after thirty years of

arguments and a further thirty years of

construction. 11 people were hospitalised in

2002 when a fire broke out after the Coptic

monk who is stationed on the roof of the

church to symbolize Coptic claims to the site

moved his chair from its agreed spot into the

shade, which was interpreted as a hostile act.

Two years later another altercation occurred

when a Franciscan chapel door was left open,

which was interpreted as a sign of disrespect

by Orthodox Christian worshippers.

None of the denominations own the main

entrance. In 1192, Salahuddin Ayyubi assigned

responsibility for it to two neighbouring Muslim

families. The Joudeh were entrusted with the

key, and the Nusseibeh, who had been the

custodians of the church since the days of

Caliph Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)

retained the position of opening the door. This

arrangement has persisted into modern times

as no Christian sect will trust the others with

the key. Every morning and evening two armed

Israeli soldiers accompany a member of the

Joudeh family, who brings the door’s great key

to a member of the Nusseibeh family, who

unlocks or locks the door. The video below

shows the church being locked.

References: Wikipedia, Palestine: Beginner’s guide

– Ismail Adam Patel, The Rough Guide to

Jerusalem, Sacred Places – Philip Carr-Gomm