Modern-day Israel is home to some of the most revered holy sites in Christianity, but none are more important than the Church of Holy Sepulchre, said to house Jesus’ tomb. After centuries of decay from water and structural damage, scientists finally began a long overdue renovation of the tomb in October 2016. When they removed a slab of marble for the first time in hundreds and hundreds of years, lying beneath it was a never before-seen discovery.
The Most Important Tomb of Christendom
According to the New Testament’s chronicle of his death, Jesus’ tomb was built close to the place of his crucifixion. The structure was meant to enclose both his body and the cross that he died on. And while the exact site of the burial has not been proven archaeologically, historians do know one thing for certain about the present-day Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The first church on the site was built by the Roman emperor Constantine the Great in about 326 CE, and was meant to house his own burial site. First, Constantine’s mother, Helena, was sent to find the exact location of Jesus’ tomb from three centuries before. With the help of a bishop named Eusebius, she believed she’d found it. Read the full article here ▶
