Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem, Israel

Church of the Holy Sepulchre or the Church of the Resurrection is located within the walled Old City of Jerusalem, Israel. For the Christians it commemorates the hill of crucifixion and the tomb of the Christ (the sepulchre).

Picture of Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem, Israel
Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built by Emperor's Constantine mother Saint Helena in 330. Saint Helena is also credited with the rediscovery of the True Cross (the physical remnants which are traditionally believed to be from the cross upon which Jesus was crucified). The church was damaged in 614 when the Persians invaded Jerusalem and captured the Cross. Emperor Heraclius recaptured Jerusalem and rebuilt Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 630.

The early Muslims rulers protected the Christian sites in Jerusalem and prohibited their destruction but the Egyptian Caliph Al-Hakim destroyed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and hacked down its foundations to bedrock in 1009. The Crusaders rebuilt it completely, while the Franciscan order renovated the church in 1555. Church of the Holy Sepulchre was damaged and rebuilt many times over the following centuries.

The church is under extensive renovation since the 1960's, while the dome was restored between 1994 and 1997. At the time of writing restoration works are still not finished although Church of the Holy Sepulchre regained much of its former beauty.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre is one of the most sacred sites for all Christians and one of the holiest pilgrimage destinations for all Christian communities.

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