The Holy Sepulchre is believed to be Christ's burial place.

The archaeologists found the mortar and marble slab covering the original burial bed dated back to about 345 AD.

This coincides with the time period that Constantine was believed to have built the shrine around the tomb, and refutes claims by many researchers that the shrine was built only 1,000 years ago, during the Crusades. Read more

The National Geographic team set up cameras inside the shrine to capture the moment when the slabs were lifted for renovation work last year.

They will screen a documentary on 3 December on the National Geographic cable channel.

The team recently opened its "Tomb of Christ: The Church of the Holy Sepulchre Experience" virtual exhibit, which uses 3-D and virtual reality technology to provide visitors to its Washington museum.

Some of this exhibit will air in the documentary. Read more

The team is hoping to uncover the original rock surface where Jesus' body lay. This has involved uncovering a marble slab imposed over the site's innermost chamber. The slab was last removed in 1550.

A second debris-smothered marble slab appeared beneath the first one. It is grey, features a small etching of a cross and may date to the 12th century.

The restoration work has exposed the original burial cave, which experts believed long since destroyed.

Ground penetrating radar tests found the 180cm-high cave walls are still standing. They connect with bedrock behind the central chamber's marbled panels

National Geographic archaeologist Fredrik Hiebert is astonished by the find. (National Geographic is partnering with Greek restoration experts to document the work.)

The work is part of a project to reinforce and preserve the Edicule. The Edicule is the chamber housing the cave where Jesus's body lay after the crucifixion. It is one of Christianity's most important shrines.

Six Christian denominations practice their faith at the site.

The Edicule was last restored in 1810 following a fire.

Renovations need all the church's custodians' agreement. They approved these after Israel's Antiquities Authority deemed the church unsafe and closed it.

Repairs began in June. The repair contract allows the crew 60 hours to complete the work. They are working day and night to reach the tomb's core and to analyse it.

Hiebert doesn't believe the excavations have uncovered the original rock yet.

"What happened here 2000 years ago completely changed the history of the world," David Grenier said.

Grenier is the secretary of a group overseeing Catholic church properties in the Holy Land.

"To be able to dig, let's say, to the rock where the body of Jesus was laid ... it's overwhelming joy."

Source

• Stuff
• Image: PlanetWare

Police confronted pilgrims outside the church on May 4, as thousand of Christians arrived for Easter celebrations, according to the Orthodox calendar.

As the police broke up the crowds in the narrow streets, Father Arsanios, the 85-year-old head of the Coptic Church in Ramallah, was beaten and temporarily lost consciousness.

The priest was treated at a local hospital and released, but a video of the incident circulated quickly on the Internet.

According to The Times of Israel, three high-ranking Egyptian diplomats were evicted from the church during the liturgy.

The apology from Israel's deputy foreign minister, Ze'ev Elkin, came after Israel's ambassador in Cairo was summoned by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and given a "strongly worded" complaint.

The leaders of the Christian churches in the Holy Land had issued a statement which said: "We, the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, watched with sorrowful hearts the horrific scenes of the brutal treatment of our clergy, people and pilgrims in the Old City of Jerusalem during Holy Saturday [in the Julian calendar] last week.

"A day of joy and celebration was turned to great sorrow and pain for some of our faithful because they were ill-treated by some Israeli policemen who were present around the gates of the Old City and passages that lead to the Holy Sepulchre."

The heads of churches also condemned all "measures and violations of Christians' rights to worship in their churches and Holy Sites" and urged the Israeli authorities to allow "full access to the Holy Sites during Holy Week of both church calendars".

Following a directive from the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land, within two years all Eastern Catholics and the Latin Patriarchate in the Holy Land will officially adopt the Julian calendar date for Easter.

Sources:

CNEWA

AsiaNews

Image: CNEWA