San Sepulcher Sanctuary in Jerusalem in Israel
If there is a sacred place in the world for Christians, surely that place is the Sanctuary of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, which I have had occasion to visit in my recenttrip to Israel.
In any case, regardless of your religious belief, the Holy sepulchre It becomes one of the essential places forvisit in the Old City from Jerusalem.
For Christians who come to Jerusalem on a trip from religious tourism, he Holy sepulchre It is the final stage of its journey through the different corners of the old Painful way, starting from the garden of Getsemani at Mount of Olives.
Chapel of the Cruxifition in the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem
That was also the same route that we carried out on our visit to the Old City of Jerusalem, which leads you to one of the key moments, visit the church of the Holy Sepulcher, also known as the Church of the Resurrection.
What's in the Holy Sepulcher Basilica
This basilica contains places as sacred to Christians as the Golgotha, mound where Jesus Christ was crucified, also known as the Calvary.
There is also the stone on which Jesus christ was anointed before being buried, and above all, the tomb where he is supposed to be buried, and from which he rose again the third day.
How to get to the Holy Sepulcher
He Sanctuary of the Holy Sepulcher now it is located in a central area of the Old City walled of Jerusalem, on the edge of the Muslim and Jewish neighborhoods.
Corner of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem
Therefore, this place is currently located within the wall that the Ottomans built during their occupation, although it should be remembered that the Golgotha in time of Jesus Christ It was on the outskirts of the wall of the early first century.
On your walk through the narrow streets of the Old City Suddenly you will reach the small cobbled square surrounded by buildings where the church is located.
Another way to access is through a high roof area that, as it was in our case, will allow you to enter through a very austere and dark chapel run by the Coptic Orthodox church.
At this point you should know that the Sanctuary of the Holy Sepulcher It is run by up to eight different Christian orientations, most of them orthodox.
This you will be able to verify during your visit, in which you will visit different chapels and corners managed by the different communities, such as Greek and Armenian Orthodox, those cited Copts, the orthodox sirians, or the Ethiopians.
Coptic chapel in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem
There is also a chapel run by the Franciscans of the Custody of the Holy Land, which in 1342 were named by the father of the Vatican as «guardians of Holy place»On behalf of the catholic church.
How to visit the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem
At the outset you have to know that you can sign up for a Jerusalem tour with guide in Spanish 7-8 hours long, which includes the visit to the Holy Sepulcher, which may interest you.
And here you have this other option of Tour of the Holy City of Jerusalem of 4 hours in which, among other prominent places, you will also visit the Holy sepulchre.
But if you prefer to visit it on your own, here we will detail what is the most important thing you should know to enjoy this visit.
What to see in the Holy Sepulcher
Upon entering the church, on the right you must access what was the mount Golgotha along some very steep steps where you will surely find a queue of tourists.
Painted ceiling of the Chapel of Calvary in the Holy Sepulcher
On the upper floor you find a not very large room divided into two clearly defined spaces.
How to touch the stone of the Cross of Jesus Christ
First, the Chapel of the Cruxification, run by Franciscan Catholics, and immediately the queue of visitors will take you to an altar managed by the Greek Orthodox, the Chapel of Calvary.
There you can bend down and under the aforementioned altar, accessing a hole you can touch the stone where the cross is supposed to be placed where Jesus Christ He was crucified.
This is undoubtedly one of the corners where you will be able to see more expressions of faith among the visitors of the Holy sepulchre.
Stone of the Anointing in the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem
How to touch the Stone of the Anointing of Jesus Christ
Then, once you get off this room, you can touch the Stone of the Anointing.
Located in front of the church entrance, this corner of the San Sepulcher it is considered the place where the body of Jesus He was anointed after being taken down from the cross.
How to get to the chapel of the Holy Sepulcher
And the peak moment of the visit comes when you access the roundabout, area of the circular church where large columns support a large dome under which, in the center of the place, is the Oedule of the Holy Sepulcher.
It is a small construction made in 1808 by the Greek Orthodox to replace that made by the Franciscans in the sixteenth century.
Entrance to the burial chamber of the Holy Sepulcher
That Edicule It had been destroyed by a large fire, and important conservation works are currently underway.
At Edicule there is a very small chapel, and behind it you find a very narrow enclosure where there are barely four or five people.
It is actually a small burial chamber with a marble table on the rock under which it is supposed to be buried Jesus Christ.
Get ready to make a long line until you reach this site whose access is regulated by Orthodox Christians.
In this way you will have completed the visit of the Holy Sepulcher, a place that you are a believer or not, will not leave you indifferent because of the great expressions of faith that you will surely see.
