The ongoing restoration of the floor of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher has made it possible to make new archaeological discoveries that confirm that this place was already frequented in the early days of Christianity and the accuracy of the descriptions left by the pilgrim Egeria.
Jerusalem () – In the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, the restoration of the pavement that is being carried out is an opportunity to carry out new excavations in this fundamental place for the history of Christianity. Yesterday, the Custody of the Holy Land published a note and some images about the archaeological activity that is taking place in the area located immediately in front of the Hermitage of the Tomb of Jesus, which was closed for 7 days and 7 nights in June precisely to perform these jobs.
The excavation -conducted by the Department of Antiquity Sciences of the University of Rome La Sapienza directed by Francesca Romana Stasolla- allowed us to understand how this area was arranged in the 4th century AD The Aedicule of the Sepulchre, in the Rotunda built by the Emperor Constantine , was accessed through two white marble steps (in the image). In front of him, a pavement of stone slabs extended about 6 m to the east, towards the area where the triporticus built around the rock of Calvary and the great basilica rose.
That the arrangement that came to light with the excavations represents the definitive appearance of the Rotunda at the end of the 4th century is confirmed by a chest with coins issued by the Emperor Valens (364-378), buried under the pavement according to the custom of the time. for important works. And this dating is relevant: it confirms the reliability of the story transmitted by Egeria, the Roman pilgrim who a few years later she described in her Itinerarium his journey to the Holy Places.
Other interesting finds from this recently completed excavation include a fragment of wall lining, most likely from the Aedicule of the Sepulchre: it is full of graffiti left by pilgrims in various languages, including Greek, Latin and Armenian. It is believed to date from the 18th century, as the current layout dates from the 19th century.
Finally, interesting findings have also emerged when removing the floor from inside the tomb: “In some sections”, the archaeologists write, “an earlier marble pavement from the Middle Ages can be seen, hence the work on the same rock , with traces of having been intensely frequented, which made it extremely smooth”. This confirms that the Holy Sepulcher was already highly revered in the first centuries. Also, “part of the bottom of a burial chamber similar to those found in the northern part of the Rotunda was traced and documented, which was filled and conditioned to encourage pilgrims to visit it since the end of the early Christian era.” Jesus’ tomb, therefore, originally stood with others in a place that could never have become a place of worship in a Jewish context.
Photos 1 and 3: La Sapienza University Archive
Photo 2: Gianfranco Pinto Ostuni
