Since 2019, the press has regularly reported on new archaeological discoveries at the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The basilica, one of the most important in Christendom, has had an eventful history and means a great deal to believers.
Built on the presumed site of Christ's crucifixion and tomb in the first half of the 4th century, it replaced a pagan building that had been erected after the terraced garden outside the city walls was leveled to make way for a stone quarry.
The restoration of the “edicule” (the small structure overlooking the Tomb) was completed in 2016-2017. Then, leadership of the Churches that share the building (mainly the Latins through the Franciscans of the Custodia of the Holy Land, the Greeks, and the Armenians) wished to continue the work by restoring the entire floor, which had been damaged by centuries of pilgrimages.
While the preparatory phase began in 2019, the symbolic start of the work took place in March 2022 during an ecumenical ceremony in which the first slab was removed.
The final phase is now underway and will continue until the beginning of 2026: little by little, the floor (which measures more than 10,700 square feet) is being reinstalled throughout the basilica.
Beautiful archaeological discoveries
In order to preserve the centuries-old building as much as possible, the slabs removed as the work progressed were numbered so that they could be restored and replaced. New ones have also been cut, in the pink shade already chosen for the aedicule, to replace the most worn ones, and several tests have been carried out in situ over the past few months.
Day by day, the Holy Sepulchre is regaining its usual appearance after long months of work inside, equipment stored on the forecourt, and rather unsightly temporary floors.
However, this part, which is the most visible to pilgrims, is certainly not the most important. The slabs will cover all the archaeological treasures that a specialized laboratory at La Sapienza University in Rome has explored under the authority of Italian researcher Francesca Romana Stasolla. Throughout the construction period, she regularly reported on the work carried out underground to give a voice to the stones and remains that were uncovered.
This was followed by the publication of a highly anticipated report on the different layers of construction and their evolution.
A site that has been repeatedly transformed
In the latest “preliminary conclusions” at the end of 2024, archaeologists confirmed that the rocky site is indeed an ancient quarry, which explains the significant differences in level. It later became an agricultural area, as evidenced by the remains of dry stone walls and traces of olive and fig cultivation.
The archaeologists from La Sapienza explained that in the 4th century, the burial chamber had been cleared to build the first Christian monument on this venerable site. A small circular sanctuary was then erected with an antechamber, three steps leading up to it, 12 columns surrounding it, and a portico at the entrance. The structure remained open to the sky until the rotunda covering it was completed at the end of the same century.
These discoveries, which confirm written sources, were made in the floor of the current rotunda, along with marble remains, coins, and Roman pipes.
