PHOTOS: Archaeologists uncover early use of site beneath Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem
A Greek Orthodox monk pours oil into the lamps in front of the edicule of the Holy Sepulcher, which contains the venerated tomb. The three communities responsible for the Holy Sepulcher are the Greek Orthodox, the Latin Catholic, and the Armenian. Every movement and schedule inside the basilica is governed by the Status Quo. / Credit: Marinella Bandini Jerusalem, Apr 18, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
A stone quarry outside the walls of Jerusalem, later abandoned and converted into a cemetery with rock-cut tombs and cultivated areas — that’s what the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher looked like at the time of Jesus.
Ongoing archaeological excavations inside the basilica, however, launched in 2022 as part of a major restoration project of the floor and underlying infrastructure, have yielded significant data on the site’s original use and appearance.
Professor Francesca Romana Stasolla of Sapienza University of Rome, who is directing the excavation, confirmed to CNA: “We have documented both funerary and agricultural use prior to Hadrian’s restructuring (around A.D. 130–136), and paleobotanical analyses have revealed the presence of plants such as olive and grapevine.”
Just days before Easter, Stasolla guided CNA through the Holy Sepulcher, offering insights into the history, traditions, and archaeology of one of the world’s most sacred Christian sites.
A long history
“This place, first of all, tells the long history of Jerusalem,” she began. “The process of Christianization is only part of that story, woven into the broader events of this city.”
The excavations have taken the team of archaeologists back in time “as far as the Iron Age” (circa 1300 B.C.), when the area was “a quarrying environment outside the city walls.”
“There was a hill here,” Stasolla explained, “part of which was excavated to create a quarry. Today’s basilica sits within that depression.”
Calvary — the rocky spur now enclosed within the basilica — was incorporated into the Holy Sepulcher during the Crusader period. It is accessed by a staircase to the right of the entrance.
“Calvary was elevated above the depression created by quarrying,” Stasolla said. In some places, the quarry floor reached depths of 25 to 30 meters (about 80 to 100 feet).
According to Christian tradition, this is the place where Jesus was crucified alongside two criminals (cf. Luke 23:33). Today, two chapels — one Catholic and the other Greek Orthodox — stand atop Calvary, commemorating the crucifixion and death of Christ.
A portion of the rock is visible along the basilica’s ambulatory and at the top through a glass panel in the Greek Orthodox chapel. Visitors can also touch the Calvary rock through an opening beneath the altar — believed to mark the exact location of Jesus’ crucifixion.
“As the quarry was gradually abandoned,” Stasolla noted, “it was reused for funerary purposes, with tombs carved into the rock.”
Some areas were “terraced with dry-stone walls for cultivation, a common use of abandoned quarries that could easily coexist with burial practices,” she pointed out.
Built by faith
While certain findings may seem to support the Gospel narratives, Stasolla urged caution: “That kind of reasoning is misleading,” she said.
“Scientific research provides data. Interpretation comes afterward. As archaeologists, we are responsible for offering a historical interpretation — but there is also a personal, subjective interpretation.”
“What I find misleading is the attempt to base reasons that are purely matters of faith trying to substantiate it with scientific data. From my point of view, this does a disservice both to faith and to history.”
The Holy Sepulcher, beginning in the Constantinian period, “was built by the faith of those who believed, and it continues to live by the faith of those who believe today,” Stasolla said.
“The historical fact is that over the centuries there has been a journey of faith — of one community, of several communities, of many people — that produced an architecture and generated a range of cultural and economic phenomena. From this perspective, the faith of those who believed has shaped history.”
The edicule of the Holy Sepulchre, which encloses the venerated tomb, stands at the heart of this history.
In the early second century, Roman Emperor Hadrian founded the colony of Aelia Capitolina, incorporating the area where the basilica now stands within the city. At that time, the quarry was filled in to level it with the surrounding urban landscape.
In the early fourth century, under Emperor Constantine, the area was completely transformed. “A large-scale monumentalization of the tomb, Calvary, and the connecting courtyards was initiated,” Stasolla explained.
“In front of the edicule, the excavations have yielded strong confirmation of this,” she continued.
“We documented an extensive operation to remove rock around the tomb, creating a small monument that covered it from the outside. We also found traces of a colonnade surrounding the tomb — still open to the air. Only at the end of the fourth century did the structure begin to resemble the one we see today.”
Over the centuries, the Holy Sepulcher has undergone destruction and restoration. In the 12th century, under Crusader rule, a major restoration gave the building its current layout.
One of the most venerated features of the basilica — the Stone of Anointing in front of the entrance — dates back to this period.
The stone commemorates the preparation of Jesus’ body with oils and balms before burial. However, Stasolla clarified, “we know that the body would have been prepared in the antechamber of the burial chamber.”
In the case of the venerated tomb, that corresponds to what is today known as the Chapel of the Angel — the small space inside the edicule just before the burial chamber.
Despite this historical inaccuracy, hundreds of faithful — especially from the Orthodox tradition — bow down each day to kiss and anoint the stone.
On the evening of Good Friday — for both Catholic and Orthodox — the rite of preparing Jesus’ body for burial is reenacted on this stone during the so-called “funeral procession.”
Today, three communities — Greek Orthodox, Latin Catholic, and Armenian — share custody of the Holy Sepulcher. This year they will celebrate Easter on the same day, in the same space, in a layered interplay of rites, songs, and traditions — while adhering to the ancient Status Quo, the agreement that governs every movement within the basilica.
Stasolla and her team have spent the past three years working inside the Holy Sepulcher, often including overnight shifts when necessary. They occupy a modest room behind the edicule, which serves as an office, workspace, meeting room, and even a break room when needed. There is always coffee — offered not only to the archaeologists but also to workers, friars, monks, and curious passersby.
Their contact with representatives of the three communities is nearly constant, since every intervention must be agreed upon collectively, and every result is shared.
“What we’ve experienced, really, is a great sense of welcome from everyone,” Stasolla said. “We’ve encountered hospitality — but also diversity. The fact that these two things can coexist is deeply meaningful and gives us much to reflect on.”
