Excavation of floor of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre expected to uncover hidden history

The work on the floor will allow archaeologists to explore what is underneath the Holy Sepulchre for the first time.

After years of delay caused by the world pandemic, the second phase of restoration has commenced at Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The new project will see the floors restored, while a subsequent archaeological investigation will explore what lies underneath. Workers will also update the plumbing, electric, and fire suppression systems.

The groundbreaking commenced under the supervision of the Three Major Communities who run the site: the Greek-Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Custody of the Holy Land of the Franciscans, and the Patriarchate of the Armenians in Jerusalem.

The work is fruit of an agreement among these three custodians that took 30 years to arrange. The previous round of renovations finished in 2017, an effort that saw cracks in the tomb repaired and uncovered a monument built by the Templars in the 12th century.

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According to Custodia, Fr. Francesco Patton of the Custos of the Holy Land remarked on the day:

Renovation

The Jerusalem Post reports that the paving stones will be extracted and restored. This is a delicate process, as the pavers come from various points in history, with some suspected to have come from the time of Constantine. Others may have come from periods between the Crusades and the 19th century. The effort will seek to date each stone before determining if it is in good enough shape to restore.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which dates to the 4th century, is also in dire need of updates to the functionality of the site. The plumbing system, which was described as “a jumble of pipes and drains,” need to be reorganized for efficiency’s sake, which will also reduce humidity. Further additions of special fire-fighting systems will improve safety within the Edicule.

Excavation

The archaeological investigation of the Holy Sepulchre will be led by Francesca Romana Stasolla, professor of Christian and Medieval Archaeology at Rome’s Sapienza University. In an interview with the Jerusalem Post, she explained the project:

Prof. Giorgio Piras, also of Sapienza University, noted that the site has never been excavated before and no one knows what they might find. He said he expects to at least discover some remnant of Roman Emperor Constantine’s church.

Daily Sabah notes that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre will remain open throughout the process. The floor work will be divided into sections, so that the space remains available to pilgrims and visitors.

Archbishop Sevan Gharibian, Armenian Apostolic Patriarchate of Jerusalem, said at the groundbreaking: