Saturday, March 22, 2014

The Holy Sepulchre church, Jerusalem

 Finally I'm here at the doorway to the Holy Sepulchre church in Jerusalem. After hearing and reading so much about it, I'm at the door. This was the spot where the cross was that Jesus was crucified on. Queen Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, some 300 years after the death of Jesus went to the Holy Land and started identifying some of the places where Jesus walked, she was on the hunt for religious relics. She is buried at the basement of this church together with the first two Crusader kings.
At the entrance is this slab of marble which marked the spot where Jesus' body was embalmed and prepared for burial. Its a solemn place where the faithful kneels, weeps, wipe the slab with fabric as keepsakes and experience immense reverence. It was hard to push through the crowds as we move ever so slowly into the crowded church. Its a humbling experience.

No comments: