HOLY SEPULCHER OVERNIGHT

Entrance to the Tomb of Christ

This last week, 12 members of our group spent the night at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This space houses many major sites and relics related to Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection. Some highlights include Calvary (Mark 15:22), the Tomb (Mark 15:45), and the Pillar used at the Scourging (Mark 15:15). 

Stairs leading to the Calvary

Being marked by a pagan sanctuary, Constantine eventually ordered the construction of the church following his conversion to Christianity in the 300a.  During this time, his mother St. Helena came to the Holy Land to oversee the construction of the church. The original church was destroyed by the Muslims in the 11^th century, and the current building was reconstructed (albeit smaller than the original sanctuary). Today, this space is shared by many Christian groups (Orthodox, Armenian, Coptic, and Roman Catholic), and services are regulated by a “Status Quo” set in place during the British Mandate. The Status Quo allows for pilgrims to keep an overnight vigil in the church. As long as there no liturgy taking place, the sites are open for prayer and contemplation. The only rules governing the overnight vigil are: no candles, no singing, and no sleeping. The latter rule made our stay both challenging and meaningful. 

Our Lady of Dolours

Our group was expected to arrive at 7:00PM, and a ritual of sorts marked the closing of the doors for the night. A Muslim family has possession of the keys (mandated by the British as part of the Status Quo), and one group is charged with passing a ladder through a small hatch in the door every evening. The Muslim man typically receives the ladder, locks the hatch 12-feet above the ground, and passes the ladder back to a member of a different community. This routine is done every morning and evening. 

Chapel of the Crucifixion

For most of us, the experience proved to be very enriching. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher draws thousands of people daily from all over the world, but this fact oftentimes makes it difficult for prayer. Most of us had the opportunity to spend 30 minutes- to one hour in the tomb, something certainly unheard of during the day. We participated in the night liturgies of all the groups, and witnessed their different styles of worship firsthand. 

Chapel of Calvary

If you ever have the opportunity to overnight in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, we would certainly encourage you to do so. The intimacy with probably the holiest site in Christianity is something completely worthwhile.