Pressed against a wall in a back corridor of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, a stone slab testified only to the graffiti engraved on it by crowds of pilgrims over the centuries. But the 2.5 x 1.5 meter stone proved to be much more valuable when its other side was unveiled during recent renovations to the church, the traditional site of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial. Researchers believe that the intricate loop ornaments found on the long-hidden part of the slab indicate that it was once the decorated front of a medieval high altar that was proud of its location centuries ago in one of the holiest sites of Christianity. “You can not see it now, but it was originally an insert with pieces of precious marble, pieces of glass, pieces of small, finely made marble,” said Amit Re’em, a regional archaeologist in Jerusalem for the Israel Antiquities Authority. “It shone and it was a really amazing piece of art,” said Re’em, who conducted the research with Ilya Berkovich of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. They identified the unique method of decoration as “Cosmatesque”, which combines classical, Byzantine and early Islamic art in which finely cut multicolored marble tiles are used to fill circular stone engravings. “It was at the top, in the sanctuary of the Church (of the Holy Sepulcher),” Re’em said. “All the eyes of the faithful, of the pilgrims, (went) to this object. “And just above and around him, all the high priests, priests and monks of the church did all the service, the main service of the church, on the table, right here on the table of this altar,” he said. Similar decorated altars have been found in churches in Rome dating back to the 12th and 13th centuries, researchers said. It is believed that the relic in Jerusalem corresponds to older archaeological finds and to the stories of pilgrims about the consecration of the church by the Crusaders and the configuration of its main altar in 1149. The altar was used by the Catholic clergy to officiate until the Crusaders left Jerusalem, Re’em said. It was then used by the Greek Orthodox Church until it was destroyed by fire in 1808, set aside and forgotten until recent renovations, he said. The Chief Secretary of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Archbishop Constantine Aristarchus, welcomed such inquiries into the church. “Works of people of art, people of archeology, contribute to us, contribute to the faith of the church, to the belief of the church, that this is the place… where Jesus Christ θηκε was crucified φη was buried and from whom the resurrection came,” he told Reuters. The researchers’ findings will be published by the end of the year by the Israel Exploration Company. The Morning and Afternoon Newsletters are compiled by Globe editors, giving you a brief overview of the day’s most important headlines. Register today.
