875 years have passed since, on 15 July 1149, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fulcher of Angoulême, dedicated the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre (consecrated in 335). This took place after a number of reconstructions and enlargements by the Crusaders after the conquest of Jerusalem in 1099.
As every year, on 15 July, the Franciscans of the Custody of the Holy Land celebrated a Solemn Mass on the anniversary of the dedication of the basilica. Some local religious and faithful were also present.
Witness of the resurrection
“What does this celebration mean for us? Why give so much importance to a physical place?” is how fra Francesco Patton, Custos of the Holy Land, who presided over the celebration, began his homily. “This place is the witness of the real death of Jesus of Nazareth and his resurrection and so it is at the origin of our faith and our hope.”
The Crusader restyling
After reconquering Jerusalem, the Crusaders went about rebuilding a number of churches, including the Holy Sepulchre. The paleo-Christian buildings (Anastasis, Golgotha and Martyrion) were incorporated into the new basilica. A large presbyter (the present-day Greek Katholicon) was built and around it a number of chapels dedicated to some moments of the Passion of Christ. A transept, along the north-south axis, incorporated the rock of Golgotha.
A historic reality
At the start of the celebration, the Custos incensed the Empty Tomb, on which the Book of Gospels had been placed. The altar was set up in the Chapel of the Angel, the room in front of the room of the tomb. The liturgy of the Word ws celebrated outside the Edicule and the Eucharistic liturgy inside it. Together with the Custos, the two main concelebrants entered the Edicule: fra Stéphane Milovitch, president of the Holy Sepulchre, and Mons. Carlos Malfa, Bishop Emeritus of Chascomús (Argentina).
“The place we are in and the texts we have read tell us that Jesus really did die and really did rise,” the Custos emphasized. “This place is therefore at the origin of the Christian testimony and hope. It is itself a witness.” As the angels announced the resurrection of Jesus to the women, the Church continues to “offer this message to us as a solid foundation for our faith and our hope.”
Marinella Bandini
