This evening we visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem. I can’t begin to describe the awe one feels upon visiting. The place is not what one expects at first. In 324 AD Queen Helen, mother of Constantine, had the hill cut away and the church and chapels built. So what you expect to see, the hill, the cave, have been replaced by chapels. Never the less, it is inspiring.
Tower of David - actually the palace of King Herod
The Jaffa gate
1. Church of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
2. Steps up the Hill of Calvary, where Christ carried his cross.
3. The spot where they took off Jesus robe and nailed to the cross
4. The hole in the stone upon which the cross was inserted, with an altar built on top of it. Pilgrims pause and kneel under the alter and place their hand into the hole in the rock
5. The anointing stone upon which Christ’s body was placed and cleaned.
6. The tomb of Christ.
7. The spot recognized as where Mary stood and watched the crucifixion. You can see the hill of Calvary behind and up above.
You can read more on wikipedia about the history of the church…
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