Summary: Evidence of an ancient garden was recently excavated beneath the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, matching the Gospel of John account of Jesus’ burial site.
So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there. – John 19:40-42 (ESV)
Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Archaeological excavations have revealed evidence of an ancient garden beneath the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Traces of 2,000-year-old olive trees and grapevines match the description given in the Gospel of John concerning Jesus’ burial site being in a garden.
Now in the place where [Jesus] was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. – John 19:41
Excavations under the basilica’s floor began in 2022 as part of an ongoing restoration project to preserve the historic structure. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was originally built in the 4th century by Emperor Constantine to commemorate the site believed by many to be the place where Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected.
Excavations Under the Church
Professor Francesca Romana Stasolla of Sapienza University in Rome was given access amid renovations to excavate beneath the church floor. Permission was granted by the three religious communities that oversee the church: the Orthodox Patriarchate, the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, and the Armenian Patriarchate. Due to the site’s religious and historical importance, Stasolla and her team have been working slowly in small sections at a time, carefully documenting their findings and reconstructing the data in laboratories.
The layers discovered under the building reveal a long and complex past. Part of the archaeological history includes remnants of an Iron Age quarry dating back to 1200–586 BC. Findings show that the quarry was later repurposed for agricultural use. Low stone walls with dirt filled in between them were unearthed, demonstrating this transition from quarry to cultivated fields.
Excavated soil samples revealed traces of olive trees and grapevines identifiable through botanical studies and pollen analysis. Archaeologists have also uncovered pottery, oil lamps, and burial sites, as well as other artifacts that provide a glimpse into daily life over the centuries.
Tombs Outside the City Wall
According to Stasolla, during the time of Jesus, the site was located outside of Jerusalem’s city walls. Jewish people never buried their deceased within the city walls. The Old Testament narrates how the bodies of sacrificed animals were to be taken outside of the camp (Ex. 29:14; Lev. 4:12,9:11,16:27; Num. 19:3). The New Testament Book of Hebrews references back to this practice, relating it to Jesus’ death.
For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. – Heb. 13:11-12
Tombs from this period usually consisted of several burial chambers, which had niches cut in the rock walls. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre has two ancient niche tombs that can be seen in the section called the Chapel of Joseph of Arimathea.
All four of the Gospels give the account of how Joseph of Arimathea, a rich man who was part of the Sanhedrin council and also a disciple of Jesus, asked Pilate for Jesus’ body so he could bury him in his own tomb in the nearby garden.
When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. – Matt. 27:57-60
A newly hewn tomb, as described in the Gospels, could be used for the first part of the burial ritual, where the body was wrapped in linen grave clothes and left on a shelf, bench, or niche for about a year, allowing the soft tissues to decompose. Later, the bones would be taken and put in a chest or box called an ossuary as a final resting place.
In 1990, an important 1st century limestone ossuary was discovered in a tomb in the Jerusalem suburb of Talpiot. The ossuary was inscribed in Aramaic with the name Yehosef bar Qafa, which is thought to be a reference to Sadducee Joseph Caiaphas, the high priest who presided over the arrest and trial of Jesus.
Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. – Matt 26:57
Tradition of the Church
After the city of Jerusalem was destroyed by Rome in AD 70, Emperor Hadrian began rebuilding it as a Roman colony known as Aelia Capitolina around AD 130. According to Eusebius and other historical sources, Hadrian built a temple dedicated to Venus on the site of Jesus’ tomb because he wanted to destroy places sacred to Christianity.
Emperor Constantine converted to and legalized Christianity in AD 313. He began building churches and shrines throughout the empire. His mother, Helena, visited the Holy Land searching for sacred sites and was told that Jesus’ tomb was beneath the Venus temple. Tradition says, she had the temple destroyed, found Jesus’ tomb underneath it and built a church around the site.
The church was inaugurated in AD 325 and named “Anastasis,” meaning “Resurrection.” Only after the Crusaders arrived in the 11th century did people start calling it the “Church of the Holy Sepulchre,” which means the “Church of the Holy Tomb.”
Changes Over the Years
The original church had a large open-air garden at its center. A dome, protecting the empty tomb, was located on the west side. In the corner of the garden was what many believed to be Golgotha, the rock on which Jesus was crucified. Today the rock can be seen through glass windows set up to protect it from pilgrims who would chip off pieces to take home.
Over the years the Church of the Holy Sepulchre has been damaged, rebuilt, and expanded. The present church structure was completed in the 12th century. A shrine was added in an 1810 renovation to encase the tomb.
While excavating beneath the shine, Stasolla’s team uncovered a circular marble base thought to be part of Constantine’s original structure, as described by early 5th and 6th century depictions. Further tests are underway to determine the origin of the marble and provide additional historical insights.
Other Options for Jesus’ Tomb
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is a destination for many pilgrimages. While it is possible that this church is built on the original tomb of Jesus, it is also possible that the real tomb has been lost to us through time and the various changes of Jerusalem’s landscape.
There are other traditions that identify the Garden Tomb, just ⅓ of a mile north, as Jesus’ burial place. The Garden Tomb is next to a rock faced cliff that resembles a skull, which has deteriorated some over the years. In the mid-nineteenth century, some Christian scholars proposed “Skull Hill” as Golgotha, the place where Jesus was crucified. A couple decades later, in 1867, the Garden Tomb was discovered and suggested to be the tomb of Jesus.
Conclusion
While it would be exciting to know the exact site of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial and resurrection, such information is not necessary for our faith. The essential truth for Christians is that Jesus died for our sins and rose again to make us right with God (Rom. 4:25). He is with us today through the Holy Spirit so we do not need to go to a “holy site” to be in his presence (Gal. 4:6).
Still, it is interesting to know that archaeology has provided evidence that there was a garden with grapevines, olive trees and stone carved tombs under the Church of the Holy Sepulchre 2,000 years ago. Keep Thinking!
TOP PHOTO: Modern mosaic depicting the anointing of Jesus’ body located next to the Stone of Anointing at the entrance of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. (credit: Lora Gilb 2023)
