Tomb of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem Opened for the First Time After 500 Years

For decades, an unending debates had experts asking: were the remains of Jesus Christ really laid down in a tomb at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Many experts couldn’t research the tomb since it was closed off to the public. 

The shrine is supposed to contain the tomb where Jesus Christ ’s body lay for three days after his crucifixion.

The tomb has been sealed in marble since at least 1555 – and possibly centuries longer – to protect it from pilgrims who kept stealing pieces as holy relics.

But over the past years, the biblical sanctum has been routinely repaired. For this reason, many people now have doubts over its authenticity.

There, unseen for half a millennium, was the limestone shelf where Christ’s body is thought to have been placed.

The researchers also discovered a second grey marble slab no one knew existed, engraved with a cross they believe was carved in the 12th century by the Crusaders.

Archaeologist Fredrik Hiebert of National Geographic, which was a partner in the project, says: “The most amazing thing for me was when we removed the first layer of dust and found a second piece of marble."

“This one was grey, not creamy white like the exterior, and right in the middle of it was a beautifully inscribed cross. We had no idea that was there.

"The shrine has been destroyed many times by fire, earthquakes, and invasions over the centuries. We didn’t really know if they had built it in exactly the same place every time."

“But this seems to be visible proof that the spot the pilgrims worship today really is the same tomb the Roman Emperor Constantine found in the 4th century and the Crusaders revered. It’s amazing."

“When we realized what we had found my knees were shaking a little bit.”

But before they conduct the research on the holy shrine, Fredrik Hiebert said they first asked for approval. Moreover, top officials from the Greek and Armenian Orthodox churches were present during the big revelation.

The key to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is kept by a Muslim family who have unlocked the building every morning for the last 500 years.

Even though they found no certified artifacts, all of them are satisfied with what they saw.

“We were all getting really curious. Then we went in, looked into the tomb, and saw a lot of rubble. So it wasn’t empty, even though there were no artifacts or bones.”

Using ground penetrating radar and thermographic scanners, conservation experts gathered information on the insides of the tomb before unsealing it. 

The data is so extensive it will take months to analyse, but the team hope to create a virtual reconstruction for public viewing.