The shrine is supposed to contain the tomb where Jesus Christ ’s body lay for three days after his crucifixion. It has been sealed in marble since at least 1555 to protect it from pilgrims who kept stealing pieces as holy relics.
Now the tomb’s marble lid has been removed for the first time in five centuries. It was opened in the presence of leaders from the Greek and Armenian Orthodox churches and the Franciscan monks, who share responsibility for the church.
“We went in, looked into the tomb, and saw a lot of rubble. So it wasn’t empty, even though there were no artefacts or bones. Without bones or artefacts we’ll never be able to say for sure this was the tomb of Christ,” said archaeologist Fredrik Hiebert of National Geographic.
The key to the Church is kept by a Muslim family who has unlocked the building every morning for the last 500 years.