DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.10357#0043
20
PICTURESQUE PALESTINE.
entrance to the Chapel of the Angels are gigantic wax candles, lighted only on certain solemn
occasions, and here the pilgrims take off their shoes before venturing to tread on the holy
ground within. On either side of the entrance are two holes in the wall through which the
" Holy Fire " is given out at the Greek Easter; and in the centre of the chapel itself, encased
in marble and resting on a pedestal, is a portion of the stone that was rolled away from the
mouth of the Sepulchre. At the western end of the antechamber is a low doorway, the mouth
of the tomb, over which is a bas-relief representing the figure of our Lord rising from the grave,
with the angel seated on the right-hand side, and the two Marys bringing incense and spices
for the anointment on the left. The tomb chamber is entirely lined with marble, and from its
roof hang forty-three lamps, of which thirteen belong to the Latins, thirteen to the Greeks,
thirteen to the Armenians, and four to the Copts. These lamps are kept burning day and
night. The tomb is a raised bench two feet high, six feet four inches long, and three feet
wide, covered by a marble slab which has a groove cut transversely across the centre. Above
the tomb are three bas-reliefs in white marble representing the resurrection.
A small chapel belonging to the Copts is attached to the western end of the shrine of the
Holy Sepulchre, and nearly opposite to it a door leads from the Rotunda to the Chapel of the
Syrians, and thence to the chamber which contains the tombs of Joseph and Nicodemus. The
tombs are of the kind known as " kokim" (deep horizontal recesses), and there can be no
reasonable doubt that the chamber is an ancient Jewish sepulchre containing, when perfect, six
" kokim " for the reception of bodies. This would at first sight seem to indicate that the
ground upon which the church is built lay without the walls of the ancient city; but we know
that some of the kings were buried in Jerusalem, and it is doubtful to what extent the Jews,
before the Captivity, buried their dead outside the walls. At the time of the Roman siege
one tomb at least lay within the walls, for it is referred to by Josephus as a well-known object.
North of the shrine of the Holy Sepulchre the spot is pointed out where our Lord
appeared to Mary Magdalene as a gardener, and a little beyond it is the Latin Chapel of the
Apparition, which commemorates the appearance of Christ to his mother after the Resurrection.
Behind the chapel is the Monastery of the Franciscans who live within the church, and in the
adjacent sacristy are kept the sword and spurs of Godfrey de Bouillon.
Directly east of the Sepulchre is the large Greek church, which occupies the site of the
church of the Crusaders, destroyed by fire in 1808. It is profusely decorated, and contains a
broken column said to mark the centre or navel of the earth. The church is separated from
the aisles that surround it by a partition wall, through which a door leads to the two Greek
chapels of the " Prison" and the " Bonds" of Christ. This portion of the church appears to
have been little damaged by the fire. Passing along the north aisle, the first chapel belongs
to the Greeks, and is dedicated to Longinus, the soldier who pierced Jesus' side with a spear;
beyond this is a closed doorway, which once formed the eastern entrance to the church ; and
then the Armenian Chapel of the " Parting of the Vestments." Still further, at the east end of
the south aisle, is the Greek Chapel of the " Crowning with Thorns," which contains the
PICTURESQUE PALESTINE.
entrance to the Chapel of the Angels are gigantic wax candles, lighted only on certain solemn
occasions, and here the pilgrims take off their shoes before venturing to tread on the holy
ground within. On either side of the entrance are two holes in the wall through which the
" Holy Fire " is given out at the Greek Easter; and in the centre of the chapel itself, encased
in marble and resting on a pedestal, is a portion of the stone that was rolled away from the
mouth of the Sepulchre. At the western end of the antechamber is a low doorway, the mouth
of the tomb, over which is a bas-relief representing the figure of our Lord rising from the grave,
with the angel seated on the right-hand side, and the two Marys bringing incense and spices
for the anointment on the left. The tomb chamber is entirely lined with marble, and from its
roof hang forty-three lamps, of which thirteen belong to the Latins, thirteen to the Greeks,
thirteen to the Armenians, and four to the Copts. These lamps are kept burning day and
night. The tomb is a raised bench two feet high, six feet four inches long, and three feet
wide, covered by a marble slab which has a groove cut transversely across the centre. Above
the tomb are three bas-reliefs in white marble representing the resurrection.
A small chapel belonging to the Copts is attached to the western end of the shrine of the
Holy Sepulchre, and nearly opposite to it a door leads from the Rotunda to the Chapel of the
Syrians, and thence to the chamber which contains the tombs of Joseph and Nicodemus. The
tombs are of the kind known as " kokim" (deep horizontal recesses), and there can be no
reasonable doubt that the chamber is an ancient Jewish sepulchre containing, when perfect, six
" kokim " for the reception of bodies. This would at first sight seem to indicate that the
ground upon which the church is built lay without the walls of the ancient city; but we know
that some of the kings were buried in Jerusalem, and it is doubtful to what extent the Jews,
before the Captivity, buried their dead outside the walls. At the time of the Roman siege
one tomb at least lay within the walls, for it is referred to by Josephus as a well-known object.
North of the shrine of the Holy Sepulchre the spot is pointed out where our Lord
appeared to Mary Magdalene as a gardener, and a little beyond it is the Latin Chapel of the
Apparition, which commemorates the appearance of Christ to his mother after the Resurrection.
Behind the chapel is the Monastery of the Franciscans who live within the church, and in the
adjacent sacristy are kept the sword and spurs of Godfrey de Bouillon.
Directly east of the Sepulchre is the large Greek church, which occupies the site of the
church of the Crusaders, destroyed by fire in 1808. It is profusely decorated, and contains a
broken column said to mark the centre or navel of the earth. The church is separated from
the aisles that surround it by a partition wall, through which a door leads to the two Greek
chapels of the " Prison" and the " Bonds" of Christ. This portion of the church appears to
have been little damaged by the fire. Passing along the north aisle, the first chapel belongs
to the Greeks, and is dedicated to Longinus, the soldier who pierced Jesus' side with a spear;
beyond this is a closed doorway, which once formed the eastern entrance to the church ; and
then the Armenian Chapel of the " Parting of the Vestments." Still further, at the east end of
the south aisle, is the Greek Chapel of the " Crowning with Thorns," which contains the