Golgotha is by no means a large hill. At the time of Christ, it was a small slope.
Now a large church covers the knoll where Christ died — the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
Two thousand years ago, Christ climbed the knoll as he carried the beam that he would be crucified on. He was sweating, bleeding profusely, weakened by the physical and emotional torment of the way of the cross.
The Church incorporates the hill into the large edifice. Entering through large steel doors, visitors are greeted by an expansive mosaic commemorating Christ’s body being taken from the cross.
To reach the top of the hill so as to pray where Christ was crucified, visitors climb a steep staircase and enter an ornate chapel adorned in gold and velvet. At the front of the chapel, a large rock protrudes from the floor.
Covered by glass, this rock is the hill where Christ was crucified. On this rock, centurions gambled for Christ’s garments. On this rock, they nailed his already ravaged body to the cross. On this rock, they raised the cross up, sticking the King of Kings, the Lord of the Universe, between two criminals.
On this rock, God redeemed mankind.
From cross to tomb
A simple marble altar stands in the middle of the rock. Pilgrims kneel in turn, ducking their heads under the altar. Reverently, they place their arm into a hole, the hole that is believed to be where the centurions placed the cross.
Here, outside the city of Jerusalem, with hundreds jeering and mocking him, soldiers poking and prodding at his body, Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Lk 23:34).
With his eyes raised to heaven, he breathed his last.
Dark clouds covered the sky; the temple veil tore in half; the earth shook violently.
Mourning the death of their friend and leader, a few brave souls took the body down from the cross, wrapped it in a linen shroud and placed it in the family tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, located steps away from Golgotha.
There, in a small tomb, the body of the Lord was laid to rest.
Now the Edicule, a small shrine built of marble, stands on top of the tomb. A Greek Orthodox priest guards the entrance, instructing pilgrims when to enter and when to exit.
Inside, a large room leads into an intimate chapel, where a rock slab consumes half of the space. Kneeling, pilgrims place their hands and heads, rosaries and medals, on the rock where Christ’s body was laid to rest.
Entering the mystery of Christ’s death
While the surrounding tomb is gone, the secluded, intimate environment of the Edicule’s inner chapel allows one to enter into the mystery of Christ’s death and meditate on its significance.
Here, the women placed the broken, bloodied body of Christ, laying a white shroud over him.
The centurions rolled a stone in front of the entrance and for three days sat guard. That is, until the stone was rolled back and the resurrected Christ walked out, conquering even death itself.
On the third day, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb. There, she was shocked to find the stone rolled back and the tomb empty.
With haste, she ran back to the apostles to proclaim the good news — that their friend, their teacher, their savior, had risen from the dead.
Every day, thousands of pilgrims walk on this sacred ground, remembering the Lord’s passion, death and resurrection.
Here, at this church surrounded by the markets of Jerusalem, the world forever changed 2,000 years ago, when a carpenter from Nazareth was convicted and killed for claiming that he was God.
Three days after his death, his followers were astonished to find the tomb empty and even more shocked when he appeared in their midst saying, “Peace be with you.”
