Lenten Campaign 2025
This content is free of charge, as are all our articles.
Support us with a donation that is tax-deductible and enable us to continue to reach millions of readers.
In Jerusalem’s Old City, beneath the ancient stones of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, archaeologists have uncovered traces of what once was a garden — complete with olive trees and grapevines. The discovery, reported by the Times of Israel, offers a striking echo of the Gospel of John, which places Jesus’ crucifixion and burial in a garden.
The Gospel reads: “Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. So because it was the Jewish day of Preparation ... they laid Jesus there” (John 19:41–42).
The archaeological team, led by Professor Francesca Romana Stasolla of Sapienza University in Rome, made the discovery during a large-scale excavation beneath the basilica’s floor.
Through archeo-botanical and pollen analysis, they found evidence of olive and grape cultivation dating back roughly 2,000 years. The strata belong to the pre-Christian era, confirming that this was not just urban terrain — but living land, likely agricultural, before becoming sacred ground.
“This area, at the time of Jesus, was still outside the city walls,” Stasolla explained in an interview with The Times of Israel. “It became part of Roman Aelia Capitolina only decades later.”
That timeline supports the Gospel narrative: a quiet garden, carved with tombs in a disused quarry, just beyond Jerusalem’s walls.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, shared today by Orthodox, Catholic, and Armenian communities, marks the traditional sites of both Golgotha — where Jesus was crucified — and the tomb where he was laid.
St. Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, identified the site in the 4th century, and the first basilica was built soon after.
Beneath the modern stone tiles — some dating back to the 1800s — Stasolla’s team has uncovered archaeological layers reaching as far back as the Iron Age. Pottery, oil lamps, and burial sites reveal the site’s long transformation: from quarry, to cemetery and garden, to the holiest shrine in Christianity.
Section by section
Work began in 2022 as part of a broader restoration project — the first major overhaul since the 19th century. The three Churches that share responsibility for the basilica overcame decades of disagreement to replace the aging floor. With that came a rare agreement: to allow archeologists access beneath it.
“We can’t excavate all at once,” Stasolla told the Times of Israel. “We work section by section, carefully closing each area so pilgrims can continue to access the church — especially as Easter approaches.”
While radiocarbon testing is still pending, the findings offer fresh resonance to the Passion story.
