The Holy Fire & Church of the Holy Sepulchre

March 23, 2018

Overview

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre stands in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem and contains the two holiest sites in the world for Christians: the place where Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, and His empty tomb, where He was buried and rose again.

Known in Arabic as Kanisatu Al Qiyamah, literally the Church of the Resurrection, it is a great pilgrimage site that draws millions of faithful and visitors from across the world each year to the Holy Land.

History

The church was originally built by the mother of the Emperor Constantine, Saint Helena, in 330 AD. The first Byzantine church was destroyed by the Persians in 614 AD. It was rebuilt and destroyed several times until the Crusaders rebuilt the church, and much of what stands today dates from that period. Despite the wounds of the centuries, the Holy Sepulchre remains a remarkable complex of structures and a touchstone of several phases of medieval architectural history.

The Last Four Stations of the Cross

The final four of the fourteen Stations of the Cross of the Via Dolorosa stand within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. These last four stations recall the closing moments of the Passion of Jesus: His nailing to the Cross, His death upon it, His being taken down, and His placing in the tomb.

Pausing at each of the fourteen stations to pray and reflect is practiced throughout the year, but most fervently during Lent, and above all on Good Friday, in a spirit of reparation for the sufferings and insults Jesus endured during His Passion.

As you prepare to celebrate the Resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ, Bethlehem Handicrafts carves the fourteen Stations of His Passion in Bethlehem olive wood. The carvings begin with the condemnation of Christ by Pilate and continue through every step of the way: the carrying of the Cross, the first fall, the meeting of His mother, Simon of Cyrene helping Him bear the Cross, Veronica wiping His face, the second fall, the meeting with the women of Jerusalem, the third fall, the stripping of His garments, the nailing to the Cross, the death of the Lord, the body of Jesus taken down, His burial in the tomb, and at last His Resurrection into Heaven. This unique olive wood carving from the Holy Land is a priceless work of art, holding the Passion of Christ before our eyes and the sacrifice He made for our sins. "I have come that they may have life." (John 10:10)

The Stone of Anointing

The Stone of Anointing at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also known as the Stone of Unction, is the place where the body of Jesus was prepared for burial. Pilgrims today still kneel before it, leaving small tokens and pressing their faces to its surface in reverence.

The Holy Fire

The Holy Fire is a miracle that takes place each year at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Great Saturday (Holy Saturday), the day before Orthodox Easter.

While the Orthodox Patriarch kneels within the chapel in front of the holy stone, a blue light emerges within the tomb of Jesus Christ, and eventually becomes a true flame of fire. When the Patriarch emerges holding two lit candles, a great roar of joy fills the church, and the flame is passed from candle to candle among the clergy, the local Christians, and the pilgrims who have come from across the world. At times, the fire spontaneously kindles other lamps and candles in the hands of those around the tomb, and even further across the church. The Holy Fire is then carried by special flights to certain Orthodox countries, such as Greece, so that the faithful there may also share in this miracle.

Online you can find many recorded videos of pilgrims passing the fire across their skin in the first minutes after its descent , and the Holy Fire neither burns nor harms them.

Thousands of pilgrims and local Christians of every denomination gather at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem each year on Holy Saturday to witness this annual miracle of light.