Church of the Holy Sepulcher

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher sits on the traditional site of Jesus' crucifixion and burial. Constantine was the first Roman Emperor to become a Christian. His mother oversaw the construction of this church in the fourth century. As with most ancient churches in Israel, it is cold and dark inside, not what people might expect in such a revered location.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is at the end of the Via Dolorosa, the route Jesus walked on the day He was crucified. Thousands of Catholic and Orthodox pilgrims retrace His steps each year, carrying a cross and worshiping at each station of the cross in turn. In the crowded, narrow Old Jerusalem streets, we were caught in a "traffic jam" of pedestrians caused by worshipers struggling through the crush with a large cross. We escaped to the Ethiopian chapel on the roof of the church until the pilgrims passed.