Holy Sepulchre

The Holy Sepulchre is a small burial chamber inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem, Palestine. A polished stone slab rests over the burial ledge and the walls are covered in marble that encloses the narrow interior space.

Helena traveled to Jerusalem in 326 and oversaw the building of a basilica on this spot after locating what was believed to be the burial place. The original church was destroyed in the eleventh century and later rebuilt in a form that still stands today.

The chamber draws pilgrims from around the world who come to pray and light candles within the enclosed space. Six Christian denominations share custody of the site and conduct liturgies at designated times throughout the day.

Visitors must stoop through a low doorway to enter the narrow chamber, which holds only a few people at once. Long waits are common during religious holidays and in the morning hours.

Restoration work in 2016 exposed layers of stone and mortar reaching back to the fourth century. Researchers carefully removed the marble cladding to examine the limestone bench underneath before resealing it.