How to visit and what to see in the Holy Sepulcher (Jerusalem)

If there is a sacred place in the world for Christians, surely that place is the Sanctuary of the Holy Sepulcher en Jerusalem, which I have had the opportunity to visit in my recent trip to Israel.

In any case, regardless of your religious belief, the Holy sepulchre becomes one of the essential places to visit in the Old City of jerusalem.

For Christians who come to Jerusalem on a trip religious tourism, el Holy sepulchre It is the final stage of your journey through the different corners of the ancient Painful way, starting from the garden of Gethsemane in the Mount of olives.

That was also the same route we took 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 Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem

This basilica contains places as sacred to Christians as Golgotha, mound where 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 was supposedly buried, and from which he resurrected on the third day.

Where is and how to get to the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem

El Sanctuary of the Holy Sepulcher It is now located in a central area of ​​the Old City walled of Jerusalem, on the border of the Muslim and Jewish neighborhoods.

For this reason, today this place is located within the wall that the Ottomans later built during their occupation, although it must be remembered that Golgotha in time of Christ It was on the outskirts of the wall from the beginning of the 1st century.

On your walk through the alleys of the Old City Suddenly you will arrive at the small cobblestone square surrounded by buildings where the church is located.

Another way to access is through a high area of ​​roofs that, as 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 is run by up to eight different Christian orientations, most of them Orthodox.

You will be able to verify this during your visit, in which you will visit different chapels and corners managed by the different communities, such as the Greek and Armenian Orthodox, those mentioned copts, orthodox syrians, Or the ethiopians.

There is also a chapel run by the Franciscans for the Custody of the Holy Land, which in 1342 were named by the Pope of the Vatican as “guardians of the Holy place” representing 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 tour of Jerusalem with guide in Spanish 7-8 hours long, which includes visit to the Holy Sepulcher, which may interest you.

And here you have this other option of Tour of the Holy City of Jerusalem 3 hours long in which, among other notable places, you will also visit the Holy sepulchre.

But if you prefer to visit it on your own, here we are going to detail what is the most important thing you should know to enjoy this visit.

What to see when visiting the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem

As soon as you enter the church, on the right you must access what was the mount golgotha down some very steep steps where you will surely find a line of tourists.

On the upper floor you find a not very large room divided into two clearly delimited spaces.

How to touch the stone of the Cross of Jesus Christ

First, the chapel of the Cruxification, run by the Catholic Franciscans, and immediately the queue of visitors will take you to an altar managed by the Greek Orthodox, the Calvary chapel.

There you can bend down and under the aforementioned altar, accessing through a hole you can touch the stone where the cross was supposedly placed where Christ was crucified.

This is undoubtedly one of the corners where you will be able to see more expressions of faith among visitors to the Holy sepulchre.

How to touch the Anointing Stone of Jesus Christ

Next, once you come down from this room, you can touch the Anointing Stone.

Located in front of the entrance to the church, this corner of the Saint 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 highlight of the visit arrives when you access the Rotonda, area of ​​the church with a circular plan where large columns support a large dome under which, in the center of the place, is the Edicule of the Holy Sepulcher.

It is a small construction built in 1808 by the Greek Orthodox to replace the one built by the Franciscans in the XNUMXth century.

Aquel edicule It had been destroyed by a large fire, and important conservation works are currently being carried out.

At edicule There is a very small chapel, and behind it you find a very narrow area where four or five people can barely fit.

In reality it is a small burial chamber with a marble table on the rock under which he was supposedly buried. Christ.

Prepare to wait in a long line to enter this venue whose access is regulated by Orthodox Christians.

In this way you will have completed the visit of the Holy Sepulcher, a place whether you are a believer or not, will not leave you indifferent due to the great expressions of faith that you will surely see.