Archaeologists have discovered a long-lost altar located at the spot where Jesus is said to have been buried and later resurrected.
The discovery came after construction workers turned over a giant stone slab covered in graffiti that was leaning against the wall of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
The stone, eight feet long and five feet wide, was decorated with ribbon ornaments, a Roman practice during medieval times, leading researchers to determine that it was the altar consecrated in 1149. The altar was long believed to have been destroyed in the fire of 1808.
“For historians, this find is a sensation in several respects,” said the archaeologists from the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW) who made the discovery.
The stone was decorated with ribbon ornaments, a Roman practice during medieval times, leading researchers to determine that it was the altar consecrated in 1149.
‘First of all, the fact that the slab could have remained hidden for so long in a building as intensively investigated as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, especially considering that it was visible to thousands of pilgrims and tourists every day.’
The site of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is identified as the site of both Jesus’ crucifixion and tomb, and receives around four million visitors each year.
The church, which is nearly 5,400 feet in diameter, was built on the site of a Roman temple dedicated to the goddess Venus in 335 A.D.
The construction was commissioned by the Roman Emperor Constantine I and during the conversion a tomb was discovered believed to be that of Jesus, who died almost 300 years earlier.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was under attack over the centuries, destroyed by the Persian army in 614, nearly demolished in 1009 and then burst into flames during the 19th century, when the altar is believed to have been lost.
The discovery came after construction workers turned over a giant graffiti-covered stone slab that was leaning against the wall of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, revealing a much older artistic heritage.
The church was built on the site of a Roman temple dedicated to the goddess Venus in 335 AD. Construction was ordered by the Roman Emperor Constantine I and during the conversion a tomb was discovered believed to be that of Jesus, who died almost 300 years earlier.
Tourists had long painted graffiti on the front of the slab, which may explain why it had gone unnoticed for centuries.
But the unusual decorations on the side facing the wall led researchers to what is called “Cosmatesque.”
‘This special production technique for marble decoration was practiced exclusively by guild masters in papal Rome, who passed the skill down from generation to generation,’ the team shared.
‘A characteristic feature of this technique was the ability of its masters to decorate large surfaces with small quantities of precious marble.
‘In medieval Rome, marble was mainly quarried from ancient buildings, forcing the Cosmatesque masters to optimize whatever marble they could find.
‘His solution was to join together small pieces of marble with the utmost precision, joining them in such a way as to create complex geometric patterns and dazzling ornaments.’
The site of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is identified as the site of both Jesus’ crucifixion and tomb, and receives around four million visitors each year.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, located in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, is one of the most sacred and special places in Christianity.
Cosmatesque artworks are considered highly prized by the Pope, so much so that they have rarely been found outside Rome and only one in Westminster Abbey outside Italy.
“The Cosmatesque altar now rediscovered in Jerusalem must also have been created with the blessing of the Pope,” the researchers explain.
‘By sending one of the Cosmatesque masters to the Kingdom of Jerusalem to build the new high altar of the most sacred church in Christendom, the Pontiff supported the claim of Christianity to the city.’
Renovations at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre The Church of the Holy Sepulchre has been under constant renovation, producing historical treasures.
In 2016, a conservation team from the National Technical University of Athens discovered a limestone burial slab inside Jesus’ tomb that had been covered by layers of marble since at least 1555.
Renovations at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre have been ongoing, yielding historic treasures such as crosses engraved on the walls.
Archaeologists revealed in 2021 that the carvings were made by 15th-century masons who were paid by pilgrims seeking additional insurance of salvation.
Christian tradition says that Christ’s body was placed on a slab cut into a limestone cave after his crucifixion by the Romans.
He was resurrected three days after his death, according to the Scriptures, and the women who came to anoint his body said that no remains were found.
The evidence for this is not definitive, but according to Dan Bahat, a former district archaeologist in Jerusalem and the Galilee.
“We may not be absolutely certain that the site of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the burial site of Jesus, but we certainly don’t have any other site that can make such a significant claim, and we really have no reason to reject the authenticity of the site,” Bahat said.
Dozens of crosses were discovered scattered around the walls of the church. 2018, thought to be Crusader graffiti.
After further analysis, archaeologists revealed in 2021 that the carvings were made by 15th-century masons who were paid by pilgrims seeking additional insurance of salvation.
