Church of the Holy Sepulchre,church built on the traditional site ofJesus’Crucifixion and burial. According to theBible (John 19:41–42), histomb was close to the place of the Crucifixion, and so the church was planned to enclose the site of both thecross and thetomb.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre lies in the northwest quarter of theOld City ofJerusalem.Constantine the Great first built a church on the site. It was dedicated about 336ce, burned by the Persians in 614, restored by Modestus (the abbot of the monastery of Theodosius, 616–626), destroyed by thecaliphal-Ḥākim bi-Amr Allāh about 1009, and restored by theByzantine emperorConstantine IX Monomachus. In the 12th century theCrusaders carried out a general rebuilding of the church. Since that time, frequent repair, restoration, and remodeling have been necessary. The present church dates mainly from 1810.

In 2016 the shrine that encloses the tomb, known as the Edicule, underwent a significant restoration, and the tomb itself was opened for the first time in centuries. Samples of mortar were taken from between the originallimestone surface of the tomb and amarble slab that covers it, and the pieces were dated to about 345; previous archaeological evidence dated only to the Crusader period. This finding provides evidence for the earliest shrine on the site, and other dated samples have confirmed the historical sequences of rebuilding there.

This site has been continuously recognized since the 4th century as the place where Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the dead. Indeed, theRock of Calvary, where the Crucifixion is believed to have occurred, is encased in glass at thelavish Altar of the Crucifixion and is the most-visited area within the church. Whether it is the actual location, however, has been hotly debated. It cannot be determined that Christians during the first three centuriesce could or did preserve an authentic tradition as to where these events occurred. Members of the Christian church in Jerusalem fled toPella about 66ce, and Jerusalem was destroyed in 70ce. Wars, destruction, and confusion during the following centuries possibly prevented preservation of exact information. Another question involves the course of the second north wall of ancient Jerusalem. Some archaeological remains on the east and south sides of the Church of the HolySepulchre are widely interpreted to mark the course of the second wall. If so, the site of the church lay just outside the city wall in the time of Jesus, and this could be the actual place of his Crucifixion and burial. No rival site is supported by any real evidence.

The site is also venerated as the location whereSt. Helena, the mother ofConstantine the Great, located theTrue Cross of Christ’s Crucifixion. TheChapel of St. Helena was built by the Crusaders in her honour, and below it lies the Chapel of the Finding of the True Cross, in which therelic was reportedly discovered.

Various Christian groups, including the Greek, Roman, Armenian, and Coptic churches, control parts of the present church and conduct services regularly.