Editing Church of the Holy Sepulchre (section)

==History==
{{see also|#Connection to Roman temple}}

===Background (1st–4th centuries)===
After the [[Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE)|siege of Jerusalem]] in AD 70 during the [[First Jewish–Roman War]], Jerusalem had been reduced to ruins. In AD&nbsp;130, the Roman emperor [[Hadrian]] began the building of a Roman colony, the new city of {{lang|la|[[Aelia Capitolina]]}}, on the site. About AD&nbsp;135, he ordered that a cave containing a [[Rock-cut tombs in ancient Israel|rock-cut tomb]]{{efn|Some Christian scholars have argued that this may have already been a site of veneration for the tomb of Jesus.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Murphy-O'Connor |first=Jerome |author-link=Jerome Murphy-O'Connor |title=The Argument for the Holy Sepulchre |journal=[[Revue Biblique]] |date=2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Taylor |first=Joan E. |author-link=Joan E. Taylor |title=Golgotha: A Reconsideration of the Evidence for the Sites of Jesus' Crucifixion and Burial |journal=[[New Testament Studies]] |date=1998|volume=44 |issue=2 |pages=180–203 |doi=10.1017/S0028688500016465 |s2cid=170536292 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Allison |first=Dale |author-link=Dale Allison |title=The Resurrection of Jesus |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing|Bloomsbury]] |date=2021 |page=142}}</ref> [[Joan E. Taylor]] posits that the tomb's location could have been preserved by the local [[collective memory]] of Jesus's followers.<ref name=secret/>}} be filled in to make a flat foundation for a temple dedicated to [[Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter]] or [[Venus (mythology)|Venus]].<ref name=sacred/><ref name=paul>{{cite book| last=Stephenson| first=Paul| title=Constantine: Roman Emperor, Christian Victor| publisher=The Overlook Press| year=2010| isbn=978-1-46830-300-1| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RTsjCQAAQBAJ&pg=PT206| page=206| access-date=27 November 2018| archive-date=1 August 2023| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801145932/https://books.google.com/books?id=RTsjCQAAQBAJ&pg=PT206| url-status=live}}</ref> [[Temple of Venus (Aelia Capitolina)|The temple]] remained until the early fourth century.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.bible.ca/archeology/bible-archeology-jerusalem-temple-mount-threshing-floor.htm| title=The Temple in Jerusalem over the threshing floor which is presently under the Al Kas fountain| website=Bible.ca| last=Rudd| first=Steve| access-date=29 November 2018| archive-date=20 May 2022| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520042859/https://www.bible.ca/archeology/bible-archeology-jerusalem-temple-mount-threshing-floor.htm| url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Corbo">{{cite book| first=Virgilio| last=Corbo| trans-title=The Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem| year=1981| title=Il Santo Sepolcro di Gerusalemme| publisher=Franciscan Press| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wYFtAAAAMAAJ| language=it| pages=34–36| access-date=14 September 2020| archive-date=10 March 2024| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240310112145/https://books.google.com/books?id=wYFtAAAAMAAJ| url-status=live}}</ref>

===Constantine and Macarius: context for the first sanctuary===

After seeing a vision of a cross in the sky in 312,<ref name=bible>{{cite book|editor-last=Owen|editor-first=G. Frederick|title=The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible|publisher=B.B. Kirkbride Bible Co.|location=Indianapolis|edition=4th improved (updated)|year=1983|orig-year=1964|page=323 (appendix)|title-link=Thompson Chain-Reference Bible}}</ref> [[Constantine the Great]] began to favour [[Constantine the Great and Christianity|Christianity]] and signed the [[Edict of Milan]] legalizing the religion. The Bishop of Jerusalem [[Macarius of Jerusalem| Macarius]] asked Constantine for permission to dig for the tomb. With the help of [[Eusebius]] (a Bishop of Caesarea) and Macarius, three crosses were found near a tomb; one, which was said to have [[Helena, mother of Constantine I#True Cross|cured people of death]], was presumed to be the [[True Cross]], on which Jesus was [[Crucifixion of Jesus|crucified]], leading the Romans to believe that they had found [[Calvary]].<ref name=bible/><ref>From the [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04517a.htm ''Catholic Encyclopedia'': Archæology of the Cross and Crucifix] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100926175751/http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04517a.htm |date=26 September 2010 }}: "Following an inspiration from on high, Macarius caused the three crosses to be carried, one after the other, to the bedside of a worthy woman who was at the point of death. The touch of the other two was of no avail; but on touching that upon which Christ had died the woman got suddenly well again. From a letter of St. Paulinus to Severus inserted in the Breviary of Paris it would appear that St. Helena herself had sought by means of a miracle to discover which was the True Cross and that she caused a man already dead and buried to be carried to the spot, whereupon, by contact with the third cross, he came to life. From yet another tradition, related by [[St. Ambrose]] following Rufinus, it would seem that the ''[[Titulus Crucis|titulus]]'', or inscription, had remained fastened to the Cross."</ref>

About 326, Constantine ordered that the temple to Jupiter or Venus be replaced by a church.<ref name=sacred/> After the temple was torn down and its ruins removed, the soil was removed from the cave, revealing a rock-cut tomb that Macarius identified as the burial site of Jesus.<ref name=mcmahon/><ref name=constantine>{{cite book| url=https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf201.iv.vi.iii.xxviii.html| title=NPNF2-01. Eusebius Pamphilius: Church History, Life of Constantine, Oration in Praise of Constantine| publisher=Christian Classics Ethereal Library| date=2005| access-date=19 September 2014| quote=Then indeed did this most holy cave present a faithful similitude of his return to life, in that, after lying buried in darkness, it again emerged to light, and afforded to all who came to witness the sight, a clear and visible proof of the wonders of which that spot had once been the scene, a testimony to the resurrection of the Saviour clearer than any voice could give.| archive-date=2 June 2022| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220602095050/https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf201.iv.vi.iii.xxviii.html| url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal| url=https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-1996-12-14-9612140058-story.html| title=Is it the Tomb of Christ? A Search for Evidence| last=Renner| first=Gerald| date=14 December 1996| journal=[[Hartford Courant]]| access-date=29 November 2018| archive-date=29 November 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181129143607/https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-1996-12-14-9612140058-story.html| url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=socrates>{{cite book |author=Socrates |author-link=Socrates of Constantinople |title=Historia Ecclesiastica |publisher=Christian Classics Ethereal Library |others=Revised and notes by A.C. Zenos, DD |url=http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf202.toc.html |date=c. 439 |access-date=29 November 2018 |pages=21–22 |archive-date=25 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225122102/http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf202.toc.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===First sanctuary (4th century)===
{{multiple image
 | align = right
 | image1 = Rotunda, Adomanan de locis santis.jpg
 | width1 = 220
 | caption1 = <!-- Vienna manuscript, codex 458 -->
 | image2 = Saint-Sépulcre (plan d'Arculfe).jpg
 | width2 = 200
 | caption2 = <!-- 12th century manuscript -->
 | footer = Two manuscript versions of the oldest known floor plans of the church, from {{lang|la|[[De Locis Sanctis]]}} ({{circa|AD 680}})<ref>Stolzenburg, Xenia (2017). [https://www.academia.edu/8099462/The_holy_place_as_formula._Floor_plans_in_Adomnans_De_locis_sanctis_to_specify_the_description_of_pilgrimage_sites_in_the_Holy_Land The holy place as formula. Floor plans in Adomnan's De locis sanctis to specify the description of pilgrimage sites in the Holy Land] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191110174458/https://www.academia.edu/8099462/The_holy_place_as_formula._Floor_plans_in_Adomnans_De_locis_sanctis_to_specify_the_description_of_pilgrimage_sites_in_the_Holy_Land |date=10 November 2019 }} in: Wolfram R. Keller & Dagmar Schlueter (Ed.) 'A fantastic and abstruse Latinity'? Hiberno-Continental Cultural and Literary Interactions in the Middle Ages, Studien und Texte zur Keltologie (Münster: Nodus Publikationen), p.&nbsp;66. "...there is not a single publication on the Holy Sepulchre or on holy burial sites that fails to include the floor plan by Adomnan, which consequently has become the topos of early depictions of Holy Sepulchre."</ref>
}}

A shrine was built on the site of the tomb Macarius had identified as that of Jesus, enclosing the rock tomb walls within its own.{{sfn|DK|2016|p=99}}<ref name="secret">{{Cite AV media|title=The Secret of Christ's Tomb|date=2017|last=Strange|first=Bob|type=television production|language=en|website=[[National Geographic]]}}</ref><ref name="natgeo">{{cite journal| url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/jesus-christ-tomb-burial-church-holy-sepulchre| title=Unsealing of Christ's Reputed Tomb Turns Up New Revelations| first=Kristin| last=Romey| journal=National Geographic| date=31 October 2016| access-date=26 April 2021| archive-date=27 April 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210427064813/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/jesus-christ-tomb-burial-church-holy-sepulchre| url-status=dead}}</ref>{{efn|This shrine would have to be replaced over the subsequent centuries, most recently in the 19th century.{{sfn|DK|2016|p=99}}<ref name="secret" /><ref name="natgeo" />}}

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, planned by the architect Zenobius,<ref>{{Cite book|last=MacDonald|first=William L.|url=https://archive.org/details/earlychristianby00macd/page/20/mode/2up|title=Early Christian & Byzantine Architecture|date=1962|publisher=G. Braziller|location=New York|page=20|author-link=William L. MacDonald|url-access=limited|via=the [[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> was built as separate constructs over two holy sites:

# a [[Rotunda (architecture)|rotunda]] called the {{transliteration|grc|[[Resurrection of Jesus|Anastasis]]}} ('Resurrection'), where Macarius believed Jesus to have been buried,<ref name=mcmahon/>{{better source needed|date=April 2023}} and;
# the great [[basilica]] (also known as {{lang|la|Martyrium}}),<ref name="basilica">The "[[Pilgrim of Bordeaux]]" reports in 333: "There, at present, by the command of the Emperor Constantine, has been built a basilica, that is to say, a church of wondrous beauty". ''[[Itinerarium Burdigalense]]'', p.&nbsp;594</ref> across a courtyard to the east (an enclosed [[colonnade]]d [[atrium (architecture)|atrium]], known as the ''Triportico'') with the traditional site of Calvary in one corner.<ref name="paul" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Wharton|first=Annabel Jane|author-link=Annabel J. Wharton|date=1992|title=The Baptistery of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem and the Politics of Sacred Landscape|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1291664|journal=Dumbarton Oaks Papers|volume=46|pages=313–325|doi=10.2307/1291664|jstor=1291664|issn=0070-7546|access-date=11 October 2021|archive-date=11 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211011100109/https://www.jstor.org/stable/1291664|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Church of the Holy Sepulchre - Kenneth John Conant.png|thumb|upright|Diagram of a possible church layout (facing west) published in 1956 by [[Kenneth John Conant]]]]

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre site has been recognized since early in the fourth century as the place where Jesus was crucified, buried, and rose from the dead.<ref name=commemoration/>{{efn|
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is known among the [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] believers as the Church of the Resurrection.<ref>{{cite book |last= Kelley |first= Justin L. |title= The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Text and Archaeology |year= 2019 |page= 4 (note 3) |publisher= [[Archaeopress]] |location= Oxford |quote= The church was called 'the Resurrection' by many Byzantine writers, and it is this title that was adopted by Christian and Muslim Arab historians from the 10th century onward... Robinson and Smith (1856: 377, n. 1) noted that local Jerusalemites of the 19th century still called the church by its Arabic title ''Kanisah al-Qiyamah'', 'Church of the Resurrection'. |isbn= 978-1-78969-056-9 |url= https://www.archaeopress.com/Archaeopress/DMS/936FF8A3FFFF4B6EBEF78FE852E68C42/9781789690569-sample.pdf |access-date= 18 December 2023 |archive-date= 18 December 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231218104219/https://www.archaeopress.com/Archaeopress/DMS/936FF8A3FFFF4B6EBEF78FE852E68C42/9781789690569-sample.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref>}} The church was consecrated on 13 September 335.<ref name=commemoration/>{{efn|Every year, the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] celebrates the anniversary of the {{interlanguage link|Dedication of the Temple of the Resurrection of Christ|ru|Обновление храма Воскресения Христова в Иерусалиме}}.<ref name=commemoration>{{cite web| title=Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem| url=http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?SID=4&ID=1&FSID=102593| publisher=[[Orthodox Church in America]]| access-date=2 March 2012| archive-date=25 January 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130125020817/http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?SID=4&ID=1&FSID=102593| url-status=live}}</ref><!-- (for those churches which follow the traditional [[Julian calendar]], 13 September currently falls on 26 September of the modern [[Gregorian calendar]]).{{cn|date = October 2013}} -->}}

In 327, Constantine and Helena separately commissioned the [[Church of the Nativity]] in [[Bethlehem]] to commemorate the birth of Jesus.

===Damage and destruction (614–1009)===
{{see also|Sasanian capture of Jerusalem|Destruction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre}}

The Constantinian sanctuary in Jerusalem was destroyed by a fire [[Sasanian capture of Jerusalem|in May of 614]], when the [[Sassanid Empire]], under [[Khosrau II]],<ref name=bible/> invaded Jerusalem and captured the True Cross. In 630, the Emperor [[Heraclius]] rebuilt the church after recapturing the city.<ref name= Kroesen>{{cite book| title=The Sepulchrum Domini Through the Ages: Its Form and Function| last=Kroesen| first=Justin| publisher=Leuven| year=2000| isbn=978-9-0429-0952-6| page=11| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w5O9PqvBjn0C&q=earthquake| url-access=subscription| access-date=9 November 2020| archive-date=10 March 2024| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240310112249/https://books.google.com/books?id=w5O9PqvBjn0C&q=earthquake#v=snippet&q=earthquake&f=false| url-status=live}}</ref>

After [[History of Jerusalem during the Middle Ages|Jerusalem came under Islamic rule]], it remained a Christian church, with the early Muslim rulers protecting the city's Christian sites, prohibiting their destruction or use as living quarters. A story reports that the caliph [[Umar|Umar ibn al-Khattab]] visited the church and stopped to pray on the balcony, but at the time of prayer, turned away from the church and prayed outside. He feared that future generations would misinterpret this gesture, taking it as a pretext to turn the church into a mosque. [[Eutychius of Alexandria]] adds that Umar wrote [[Umar's Assurance|a decree]] saying that Muslims would not inhabit this location. The building suffered severe damage from an earthquake in 746.<ref name= Kroesen/>

Early in the ninth century, another earthquake damaged the dome of the Anastasis. The damage was repaired in 810 by [[Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem|Patriarch]] [[Thomas I of Jerusalem|Thomas I]]. In 841, the church suffered a fire. In 935, the Christians prevented the construction of a Muslim mosque adjacent to the Church. In 938, a new fire damaged the inside of the basilica and came close to the rotunda. In 966, due to a defeat of Muslim armies in the region of Syria, a riot broke out, which was followed by reprisals. The basilica was burned again. The doors and roof were burnt, and Patriarch [[John VII of Jerusalem|John VII]] was murdered.{{Citation needed|date=November 2016}}

On 18 October 1009, [[Fatimid Caliphate|Fatimid caliph]] [[al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah]] ordered the [[Destruction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre|complete destruction of the church]] as part of a more general campaign against Christian places of worship in Palestine and Egypt.{{efn|[[Adémar de Chabannes]] recorded that the church of Saint George at [[Lod|Lydda]] "with many other churches of the saints" had been attacked, and the "basilica of the Lord's Sepulchre destroyed down to the ground". The Christian writer [[Yahya ibn Sa'id]] reported that everything was razed "except those parts which were impossible to destroy or would have been too difficult to carry away". {{Harvnb|Morris|2005}}}} The damage was extensive, with few parts of the early church remaining, and the roof of the rock-cut tomb damaged; the original shrine was destroyed.{{sfn|DK|2016|p=99}} The tomb itself was almost completely destroyed, with only portions of the northern wall containing the burial bench and the southern wall surviving.<ref>Kelley, Justin L. “The Holy Sepulchre in History, Archaeology, and Tradition,” ''Biblical Archaeology Review'' 47.1 (2021): 34–43.</ref> Some partial repairs followed.<ref name="Morris 2005">{{Harvnb|Morris|2005|p={{page needed|date=April 2023}}}}</ref> Christian Europe reacted with shock: it was a spur to [[expulsions of Jews]] and, later on, the [[Crusades]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Bokenkotter |first=Thomas |title=A Concise History of the Catholic Church |year=2004 |publisher=Doubleday |page=155 |isbn=978-0-3855-0584-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DISK1e7JXA8C&pg=PA155 |access-date= 12 December 2023 |archive-date= 12 December 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231212210224/https://books.google.com/books?id=DISK1e7JXA8C&pg=PA155 |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= MacCulloch |first= Diarmaid |title= A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years |year= 2009 |publisher= Penguin Books Ltd |page= 1339 |isbn= 978-0-1419-5795-1 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=7x4m20TRYzQC&q=sepulchre |access-date=  |archive-date= 10 March 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240310112308/https://books.google.com/books?id=7x4m20TRYzQC&q=sepulchre#v=snippet&q=sepulchre&f=false |url-status= live }}</ref>{{dubious|reason=Both refs don't seem useful. Bokenkotter p. 155 mentions neither Hakim & 1009, nor the expulsion of Jews; MacCulloch p. 1339 is hard to find (e-book), if added to URL it leads to much earlier events, plus: crt URL leads to table of content page referring to smth else, search for Hakim or 1009 lead nowhere, access date is missing... Not trustworthy!|date=December 2023}}

===Reconstruction (11th century)===

In wide-ranging negotiations between the Fatimids and the [[Byzantine Empire]] in 1027–1028, an agreement was reached whereby the new Caliph [[Ali az-Zahir]] (al-Hakim's son) agreed to allow the rebuilding and redecoration of the church.<ref name="Lev 1991">{{cite book| last=Lev| first=Yaacov| title=State and Society in Fatimid Egypt| page=40| publisher=E.J. Brill| location=Leiden; New York| date=1991| isbn=978-90-04-09344-7| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I2LwgIL_bpEC&pg=PA211| access-date=20 February 2016| archive-date=10 March 2024| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240310112207/https://books.google.com/books?id=I2LwgIL_bpEC&pg=PA211#v=onepage&q&f=false| url-status=live}}{{subscription required}}</ref> The rebuilding was finally completed during the tenures of Emperor [[Constantine IX Monomachos]] and [[Nicephorus I of Jerusalem|Patriarch Nicephorus of Jerusalem]] in 1048.<ref name="Foakes-Jackson">{{Cite book |title= An Introduction to the History of Christianity, A.D. 590–1314 |first= Frederick John |last= Foakes-Jackson |author-link= F. J. Foakes-Jackson |year= 1921 |publisher= Macmillan |location= London |url= https://archive.org/details/introductiontohi00foak/page/148/ |page=148}}</ref> As a concession, the mosque in [[Constantinople]] was reopened and the [[khutba]] sermons were to be pronounced in az-Zahir's name.<ref name="Lev 1991" /> Muslim sources say a by-product of the agreement was the renunciation of Islam by many Christians who had been forced to convert under al-Hakim's persecutions. In addition, the Byzantines, while releasing 5,000 Muslim prisoners, made demands for the restoration of other churches destroyed by al-Hakim and the reestablishment of a [[patriarch]] in Jerusalem. Contemporary sources credit the emperor with spending vast sums in an effort to restore the Church of the Holy Sepulchre after this agreement was made.<ref name="Lev 1991"/> Still, "a total replacement was far beyond available resources. The new construction was concentrated on the rotunda and its surrounding buildings: the great basilica remained in ruins."<ref name="Morris 2005"/>

The rebuilt church site consisted of "a court open to the sky, with five small chapels attached to it."<ref name=Fergusson>{{cite book |title=A History of Architecture in All Countries |first= James |last= Fergusson |author-link= James Fergusson (architect) |year= 1865 |publisher=J. Murray |location= London |url= https://archive.org/details/ahistoryarchite02ferggoog}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=July 2022}} The chapels were east of the court of resurrection (when reconstructed, the location of the tomb was under open sky), where the western wall of the great basilica had been. They commemorated scenes from the passion, such as the location of the prison of Christ and his flagellation, and presumably were so placed because of the difficulties of free movement among shrines in the city streets. The dedication of these chapels indicates the importance of the pilgrims' devotion to the suffering of Christ. They have been described as "a sort of [[Via Dolorosa]] in miniature" since little or no rebuilding took place on the site of the great basilica. Western pilgrims to Jerusalem during the 11th century found much of the sacred site in ruins.<ref name="Morris 2005"/>{{Failed verification|date=July 2022}} Control of Jerusalem, and thereby the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, continued to change hands several times between the Fatimids and the [[Seljuq dynasty|Seljuk Turks]] (loyal to the [[Abbasid Caliphate|Abbasid caliph]] in [[Baghdad]]) until the Crusaders' arrival in 1099.<ref>{{cite book |last= Gold | first= Dore |author-link= Dore Gold |title= The Fight for Jerusalem: Radical Islam, the West, and the Future of the Holy City |publisher= Regnery Publishing |location=Washington, D.C. |year=2007|isbn=978-1-59698-029-7| url=https://archive.org/details/fightforjerusale00gold}}</ref>

===Crusader period (1099–1244)===
{{Further|Order of the Holy Sepulchre}}
{{see also|Art of the Crusades}}

====Background====

Many historians maintain that the main concern of [[Pope Urban II]], when calling for the [[First Crusade]], was the threat to Constantinople from the [[Seljuk Empire|Seljuk]] invasion of [[Asia Minor]] in response to the appeal of Byzantine Emperor [[Alexios I Komnenos]]. Historians agree that the fate of Jerusalem and thereby the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was also of concern, if not the immediate goal of papal policy in 1095. The idea of taking Jerusalem gained more focus as the Crusade was underway. The rebuilt church site was taken from the Fatimids (who had recently taken it from the Abbasids) by the knights of the First Crusade on 15 July 1099.<ref name="Morris 2005"/>

The First Crusade was envisioned as an armed [[Christian pilgrimage|pilgrimage]], and no crusader could consider his journey complete unless he had prayed as a pilgrim at the Holy Sepulchre. The classical theory is that Crusader leader [[Godfrey of Bouillon]], who became the first [[Kingdom of Jerusalem|Latin ruler of Jerusalem]], decided not to use the title "king" during his lifetime, and declared himself {{lang|la|[[The Title of Godfrey of Bouillon|Advocatus Sancti Sepulchri]]}} ('Protector [or Defender] of the Holy Sepulchre').

According to the German priest and pilgrim [[Ludolf von Sudheim]], the keys of the Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre were in hands of the "ancient [[Georgians]]", and the food, alms, candles and oil for lamps were given to them by the pilgrims at the south door of the church.<ref>''Venetian Adventurer: The Life and Times of Marco Polo,'' p. 88</ref>

====Crusaders: reconstruction (12th century) and ownership====

By the Crusader period, a [[cistern]] under the former basilica was rumoured to have been where Helena had found the True Cross, and began to be venerated as such; the cistern later became the [[:commons:Category:Grotto of the Holy Cross|Chapel of the Invention of the Cross]], but there is no evidence of the site's identification before the 11th century, and modern archaeological investigation has now dated the cistern to 11th-century repairs by Monomachos.<ref name="Corbo"/>

[[William of Tyre]], chronicler of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, reports on the rebuilding of the church in the mid-12th century. The Crusaders investigated the eastern ruins on the site, occasionally excavating through the rubble, and while attempting to reach the cistern, they discovered part of the original ground level of Hadrian's temple enclosure; they transformed this space into a [[Chapel of Saint Helena, Jerusalem|chapel dedicated to Helena]], widening their original excavation tunnel into a proper staircase.<ref name=Savage37>''Pilgrimages and Pilgrim shrines in Palestine and Syria after 1095'', Henry L. Savage, ''A History of the Crusades: The Art and Architecture of the Crusader States'', Vol. IV, ed. Kenneth M. Setton and Harry W. Hazard, (University of Wisconsin Press, 1977), 37.</ref>

[[File:Crusader Graffiti in the Church of the holy supulchure Jerusalem Victor 2011 -1-21.jpg|thumb|Crusader [[graffiti]] in the church: crosses engraved in the staircase leading down to the [[Chapel of Saint Helena, Jerusalem|Chapel of Saint Helena]]<ref name="madainhelenachapel">{{cite web |title=Chapel of Saint Helena |url=https://madainproject.com/chapel_of_helena |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200516181420/https://madainproject.com/chapel_of_helena |archive-date=16 May 2020 |website=Madain Project |access-date=16 May 2020}}</ref>]]

The Crusaders began to refurnish the church in [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] style and added a [[bell tower]].<ref name= Savage37/> These renovations unified the small chapels on the site{{clarify|reason= No, the open courtyard was covered by a roof and a regular-shaped Western basilica was created; far from just "uniting" a set of disparate chapels.|date= March 2023}} and were completed during the reign of [[Queen Melisende]] in 1149, placing all the holy places under one roof for the first time.<ref name= Savage37/>

The church became the seat of the first [[Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem|Latin patriarchs]] and the site of the kingdom's [[scriptorium]].<ref name= Savage37/>

{{anchor|Royal tombs}}
Eight 11th- and 12th-century Crusader leaders ([[Godfrey of Bouillon|Godfrey]], [[Baldwin I of Jerusalem|Baldwin I]], [[Baldwin II of Jerusalem|Baldwin II]], [[Fulk, King of Jerusalem|Fulk]], [[Baldwin III of Jerusalem|Baldwin III]], [[Amalric of Jerusalem|Amalric]], [[Baldwin IV of Jerusalem|Baldwin IV]] and [[Baldwin V of Jerusalem|Baldwin V]] – the first eight [[rulers of the Kingdom of Jerusalem]]) were buried in the south transept and inside the [[#Chapel of Adam|Chapel of Adam]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Jeffery |first=George |title=A Brief Description of the Holy Sepulchre Jerusalem and Other Christian Churches in the Holy City |date=1919 |publisher=CUP |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924015406063/page/n143/mode/1up?view=theater |page=124}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Conder |first=Claude Reignier |title=The City of Jerusalem |date=1909 |publisher=J. Murray |page=294 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rLk2AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA294 |access-date=30 September 2022 |archive-date=8 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231108060210/https://books.google.com/books?id=rLk2AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA294#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }} [All kings named]</ref><ref name=Pringle65>{{cite book |last=Pringle |first=Denys |title=The Churches of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem |date=1993 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |volume=3 |isbn=978-0-521-39038-5 |page=65 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X0jH6VPi4-gC&pg=PA65 |quote=destroyed in 1809–10 |access-date=30 September 2022 |archive-date=8 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231108060209/https://books.google.com/books?id=X0jH6VPi4-gC&pg=PA65#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live}}</ref> 
The royal tombs were looted during the [[siege of Jerusalem (1244)|Khwarizmian sack of Jerusalem]] in 1244 but probably remained mostly intact until 1808 when a fire damaged the church. The tombs may have been destroyed by the fire, or during renovations by the Greek Orthodox custodians of the church in 1809–1810. The remains of the kings may still be in unmarked pits under the church's pavement.<ref name=reem>{{cite book |last1=Re’em |first1=Amit |display-authors=etal |title=Surviving Three Cycles of Destruction: The Graves of the Crusader Kings in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre |date=2022 |volume=15 |pages=71–103 |publisher=רשות העתיקות, מרחב ירושלים |isbn=978-9654067676 |url=https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-03822984 |via=HAL-SHS |access-date=17 November 2022 |archive-date=17 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221117100512/https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-03822984 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The church was lost to [[Saladin]],<ref name= Savage37/> along with the rest of the city, in 1187, although the treaty established after the [[Third Crusade]] allowed Christian pilgrims to visit the site. [[Emperor Frederick II]] (r. 1220–50) regained the city and the church by treaty in the 13th century while under a ban of excommunication, with the consequence that the holiest church in Christianity was laid under [[interdict]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}} The church seems to have been largely in the hands of Greek Orthodox patriarch [[Athanasius II of Jerusalem]] (c.&nbsp;1231–47) during the last period of Latin control over Jerusalem.<ref>{{cite book |last= Pringle |first= D. |author-link= Denys Pringle |title= The Churches of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem: Volume 3, The City of Jerusalem: A Corpus |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=X0jH6VPi4-gC&pg=PA31 |year= 1993 |publisher= Cambridge University Press |isbn= 978-0-521-39038-5 |pages= 31–32 |access-date= 10 March 2016 |archive-date= 8 November 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231108060217/https://books.google.com/books?id=X0jH6VPi4-gC&pg=PA31#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status= live }}</ref> Both city and church were captured by the [[Khwarezm]]ians in 1244.<ref name="Savage37" />

===Ottoman period===
There was certainly a recognisable [[Nestorian]] ([[Church of the East]]) presence at the Holy Sepulchre from the years 1348 through 1575, as contemporary [[Franciscan]] accounts indicate.{{sfn|Luke|1924|p=46–56}} The [[Franciscan]] friars renovated the church in 1555, as it had been neglected despite increased numbers of pilgrims. The Franciscans rebuilt the [[#Aedicule|Aedicule]], extending the structure to create an antechamber.<ref name="Murphy56"/> A marble shrine commissioned by Friar [[Boniface of Ragusa]] was placed to envelop the remains of Christ's tomb,{{sfn|DK|2016|p=99}} probably to prevent pilgrims from touching the original rock or taking small pieces as souvenirs.<ref name=natgeo/> A marble slab was placed over the limestone burial bed where Jesus's body is believed to have lain.{{sfn|DK|2016|p=99}}

[[File:Icon of Renovation of the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Eastern Orthodox]] icon (c.&nbsp;1600) commemorating a church renovation]]

After the renovation of 1555, control of the church oscillated between the Franciscans and the Orthodox, depending on which community could obtain a favourable ''[[firman (decree)|firman]]'' from the "[[Sublime Porte]]" at a particular time, often through outright bribery. Violent clashes were not uncommon. There was no agreement about this question, although it was discussed at the negotiations to the [[Treaty of Karlowitz]] in 1699.<ref name="Mailáth">{{cite book| title=Geschichte der europäischen Staaten, Geschichte des östreichischen Kaiserstaates| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_0MJAAAAQAAJ| first=János Nepomuk Jozsef| last=Mailáth| volume=4| page=262| publisher=F. Perthes| location=Hamburg| year=1848| trans-title=History of the European states, history of Austrian Imperial State| access-date=14 September 2020| archive-date=8 November 2023| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231108060211/https://books.google.com/books?id=_0MJAAAAQAAJ| url-status=live}}</ref> During the [[Holy Week]] of 1757, Orthodox Christians reportedly took over some of the Franciscan-controlled church. This may have been the cause of the sultan's ''[[firman]]'' (decree) later developed into the [[Status Quo (Jerusalem and Bethlehem)|Status Quo]].<ref>[https://preparadoresjc.com/joincultura/relacion/ Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, 1757] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210306142745/https://preparadoresjc.com/joincultura/relacion/ |date=6 March 2021 }} (in Spanish).</ref>{{better source needed|date=May 2021}}{{efn|name=ladder}}

A fire severely damaged [[:File:Plan of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and adjacent structures in Jerusalem - Chrysanthus of Bursa - 1807.jpg|the structure]] again in 1808,{{sfn|DK|2016|p=99}} causing the dome of the rotunda to collapse and smashing the Aedicule's exterior decoration. The rotunda and the Aedicule's exterior were rebuilt in 1809–10 by architect Nikolaos Ch. Komnenos of [[Mytilene]] in the contemporary [[Ottoman architecture#Baroque period|Ottoman Baroque]] style.<ref>{{cite book |last=Cohen |first=Raymond |chapter=The Earthquake |title=Saving the Holy Sepulchre: How Rival Christians Came Together to Rescue Their Holiest Shrine |date=2008 |pages=1–12 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-518966-7 |doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195189667.003.0001}}</ref> The interior of the antechamber, now known as the [[:commons:Category:Chapel of the Angel|Chapel of the Angel]],{{efn|One of the two chapels within the shrine, a pilaster incorporates a piece of the stone said to have been rolled away from the tomb; it functions as a Greek Orthodox altar.{{sfn|DK|2016|p=99}}}} was partly rebuilt to a square ground plan in place of the previously semicircular western end.

Another decree in 1853 from the sultan solidified the existing territorial division among the communities and solidified the Status Quo for arrangements to "remain in their present state", requiring consensus to make even minor changes.<ref name=cohen>{{cite journal |url=http://www.bibleinterp.com/articles/sepulchre.shtml |title=The Church of the Holy Sepulchre: A Work in Progress |journal=The Bible and Interpretation |date=May 2009 |first=Raymond |last=Cohen |access-date=19 September 2014 |archive-date=28 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140428164642/http://www.bibleinterp.com/articles/sepulchre.shtml |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{efn|name=ladder|The need for total agreement for even minor changes is exemplified in the '[[immovable ladder]]' under one of the church's windows; it has remained in the same position since at least 1757, aside from two occasions of temporary removal.<ref name=frozen/>}}

[[File:Grabeskirche Plan 1863.jpg|thumb|upright|Floorplan, illustrated by [[Conrad Schick]] (1863)]]

The dome was restored by Catholics, Greeks, and Turks in 1868, being made of iron ever since.<ref name=cruise>{{cite book |last1= Warren |first1= E.K. |last2= Hartshorn |first2= W.N. |last3= McCrillis |first3= A.B. |title= Glimpses of Bible Lands: The Cruise of the Eight Hundred to Jerusalem |year= 1905 |publisher= The Central Committee |location= Boston, Mass. |page= 174}}</ref>

===British Mandate period===
By the time of the British [[Mandate for Palestine]] following the end of [[World War I]], the [[Cladding (construction)|cladding]] of red limestone applied to the [[#Aedicule|Aedicule]] by Komnenos had deteriorated badly and was detaching from the underlying structure; from 1947 until restoration work in 2016–17, it was held in place with an exterior scaffolding of iron girders installed by the [[Mandatory Palestine|British authorities]].<ref name=NG16/>

After the care of the [[British Empire]], the [[Church of England]] had an important role in the appropriation of the Holy Sepulcher, such as funds for the maintenance of external infrastructures, and the abolition of territorial claims near the Temple of the Holy Sepulcher, the [[Protestant]] Church allowed to carry out the elimination of taxes from the Holy Sepulcher, currently the [[Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem|Anglican]] and Lutheran dioceses of Jerusalem are allowed to attend Armenian cults.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

===Jordanian and Israeli periods===
[[File:Golgotha cross-section.svg|thumb|Diagram of the modern church showing the traditional site of [[Calvary]] and the [[Tomb of Jesus]]]]

In 1948, Jerusalem was divided between Israel and Jordan and where the church was located, in the Old City, were made part of Jordan. In 1967, Israeli forces captured East Jerusalem in the [[Six Day War]], and that area has remained under Israeli control ever since. Under Israeli rule, legal arrangements relating to the churches of East Jerusalem were maintained in coordination with the Jordanian government. The dome at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was restored again in 1994–97 as part of extensive modern renovations that have been ongoing since 1959. During the 1970–78 restoration works and excavations inside the building, and under the nearby [[Muristan]] bazaar, it was found that the area was originally a quarry, from which white ''[[meleke]]'' [[limestone]] was struck.<ref name="Hesemann170">{{cite book |first= Michael |last= Hesemann |title= Die Jesus-Tafel |publisher= Freiburg |year= 1999 |page= 170 |isbn=978-3-4512-7092-5 |language= de}}</ref>

====Chapel of St. Vartan====
East of the Chapel of Saint Helena, the excavators discovered a void containing a second-century{{dubious|reason=Usually dated to the time of Constantine, so 4th c., beyween the demolition of the temple and the building of the badilica. What is the C2 dating based on?|date= March 2023}} drawing of a Roman pilgrim ship,<ref name="madainvartan">{{cite web |title=Saint Vartan's Chapel |url=https://madainproject.com/chapel_of_saint_vartan |website=Madain Project |access-date=28 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028000956/https://madainproject.com/chapel_of_saint_vartan |archive-date=28 October 2020}}</ref> two low walls supporting the platform of Hadrian's second-century temple, and a higher fourth-century wall built to support Constantine's basilica.<ref name="Murphy56">{{cite book| author-link=Jerome Murphy-O'Connor| first=Jerome| last=Murphy-O'Connor| title=The Holy Land| date= 1998| pages=56, 59| publisher=Oxford University Press| isbn=978-0-1915-2867-5}}</ref><ref name="lancaster">{{cite web |last=Lancaster |first=James E. |title=Finding the Keys to the Chapel of St. Vartan |url=http://coastdaylight.com/stvartan.html |work=Jim Lancaster's Web Space |access-date=2 March 2012 |year=1998 |quote=the height difference can be easily seen; the yellowish wall on the left is the 4th-century wall and the pinkish one on the right is the 2nd-century wall. |archive-date=20 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140720070001/http://coastdaylight.com/stvartan.html |url-status=live }}</ref> After the excavations of the early 1970s, the Armenian authorities converted this archaeological space into the Chapel of [[Saint Vartan]], and created an artificial walkway over the quarry on the north of the chapel, so that the new chapel could be accessed (by permission) from the Chapel of Saint Helena.<ref name="lancaster"/>

====Aedicule restoration====
After seven decades of being held together by steel girders, the [[Israel Antiquities Authority]] (IAA) declared the visibly deteriorating [[#Aedicule|Aedicule]] structure unsafe. A restoration of the Aedicule was agreed upon and executed from May 2016 to March 2017. Much of the $4 million project was funded by the [[World Monuments Fund]], as well as $1.3 million from Mica Ertegün and a significant sum from [[Abdullah II of Jordan|King Abdullah II]] of [[Jordan]].<ref name=NG16>{{cite journal |journal= National Geographic |title= Exclusive: Christ's Burial Place Exposed for First Time in Centuries |url= http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/10/jesus-tomb-opened-church-holy-sepulchre/ |first= Kristin |last= Romey |access-date= 30 October 2016 |date= 26 October 2016 |archive-date= 30 October 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161030001608/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/10/jesus-tomb-opened-church-holy-sepulchre/ |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="2017restoration">{{cite news|last1=Goldman|first1=Russell|date=22 March 2017|title=Tomb of Jesus Reopens to Public After $3 Million Restoration|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/22/world/middleeast/tomb-of-jesus-reopens-jerusalem.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/22/world/middleeast/tomb-of-jesus-reopens-jerusalem.html |archive-date=1 January 2022 |url-access=limited|access-date=23 March 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The existence of the original limestone cave walls within the Aedicule was confirmed, and a window was created to view this from the inside.<ref name="natgeo" /> The presence of moisture led to the discovery of an underground shaft resembling an [[escape tunnel]] carved into the bedrock, seeming to lead from the tomb.<ref name="secret" />{{efn|According to archaeologist Fredrik Hiebert, this does not resemble an archaeological excavation, but "a well-built tunnel".<ref name="secret" />}} For the first time since at least 1555, on 26 October 2016, marble cladding that protects the supposed burial bed of Jesus was removed.<ref name="natgeo" /><ref name="ls">{{cite web| url=https://www.livescience.com/56700-original-bedrock-of-jesus-tomb-revealed.html| title=Original Bedrock of Jesus' Tomb Revealed in New Images| publisher=[[Live Science]]| first=Stephanie| last=Pappas| date=31 October 2016| access-date=1 November 2016| archive-date=1 November 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161101014807/http://www.livescience.com/56700-original-bedrock-of-jesus-tomb-revealed.html| url-status=live}}</ref> Members of the [[National Technical University of Athens]] were present. Initially, only a layer of debris was visible. This was cleared in the next day, and a partially broken marble slab with a Crusader-style cross carved was revealed.<ref name="secret" /> By the night of 28 October, the original limestone burial bed was shown to be intact. The tomb was resealed shortly thereafter.<ref name="natgeo"/> Mortar from just above the burial bed was later dated to the mid-fourth century.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Romey|first=Kristin|date=28 November 2017|title=Exclusive: Age of Jesus Christ's Purported Tomb Revealed|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/jesus-tomb-archaeology-jerusalem-christianity-rome|url-status=dead|access-date=28 April 2021|website=National Geographic|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224111452/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/jesus-tomb-archaeology-jerusalem-christianity-rome |archive-date=24 February 2021 }}</ref>

====2020 pandemic====
On 25 March 2020, Israeli health officials ordered the site closed to the public due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Israel|COVID-19 pandemic]]. According to the keeper of the keys, it was the first such closure since 1349, during the [[Black Death]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Parke |first1=Caleb |title=Coronavirus forces Jerusalem's Holy Sepulchre to close its doors for first time since 1349: 'Very sad' |url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/coronavirus-israel-jerusalem-holy-sites |access-date=1 April 2020 |work=Fox News |date=30 March 2020 |archive-date=4 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220804045546/https://www.foxnews.com/world/coronavirus-israel-jerusalem-holy-sites |url-status=live }}</ref> Clerics continued regular prayers inside the building, and it reopened to visitors two months later, on 24 May.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/jerusalems-holy-sepulcher-reopens-after-coronavirus-closure/|title=Jerusalem's Holy Sepulchre reopens after coronavirus closure|website=The Times of Israel|access-date=27 May 2020|archive-date=4 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220804045547/https://www.timesofisrael.com/jerusalems-holy-sepulcher-reopens-after-coronavirus-closure/|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Crusader altar slab discovered (2022)====
During church renovations in 2022, a stone slab covered in modern graffiti was moved from a wall, revealing [[Cosmatesque]]-style decoration on one face. According to an [[Israel Antiquities Authority|IAA]] archaeologist, the decoration was once inlaid with pieces of glass and fine marble; it indicates that the relic was the front of the church's high altar from the [[Crusader states|Crusader era]] (c.&nbsp;1149), which was later used by the [[Greek Orthodox Church|Greek Orthodox]] until being damaged in the 1808 fire.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Rinat |last=Harash |editor1-first=Jeffrey |editor1-last=Heller |editor2-first=Angus |editor2-last=MacSwan |date=13 April 2022 |title=Church of the Holy Sepulchre's ancient altar rediscovered, researchers say |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/church-holy-sepulchres-ancient-altar-rediscovered-researchers-say-2022-04-13/ |access-date=14 April 2022 |work=[[Reuters]] |language=en |archive-date=9 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409213715/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/church-holy-sepulchres-ancient-altar-rediscovered-researchers-say-2022-04-13/ |url-status=live }}</ref>