Archaeological excavations beneath the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher, initiated in 2022 as part of a major floor restoration, revealed that the site was originally a stone quarry outside Jerusalem’s walls. Later abandoned, it was repurposed as a cemetery with rock-cut tombs and terraced for cultivation.
Professor Francesca Romana Stasolla of Sapienza University, leading the excavation, told CNA, “We documented funerary and agricultural use before Hadrian’s restructuring around A.D. 130–136. Paleobotanical studies confirmed olive and grapevine cultivation.” Days before Easter 2025, she guided CNA through the basilica, sharing insights into its history.
The site’s history stretched back to the Iron Age (circa 1300 B.C.), when it was a quarry. “The basilica sits in a depression created by quarrying,” Stasolla explained. Calvary, the rocky spur where Jesus was crucified according to tradition, rose above this depression. Visible along the basilica’s ambulatory and through a glass panel in the Greek Orthodox chapel, the rock could be touched beneath an altar marking the crucifixion site.
As the quarry was abandoned, tombs were carved into the rock, and terraced areas supported agriculture. “This reuse was common,” Stasolla noted. Under Emperor Hadrian, the quarry was filled to level it with Aelia Capitolina. In the early fourth century, Emperor Constantine monumentalized the tomb and Calvary, with excavations confirming rock removal around the tomb and traces of a colonnade.
The basilica’s current layout, including the Stone of Anointing, dated to the 12th-century Crusader restoration. Though the stone commemorated Jesus’ preparation for burial, Stasolla clarified the body was likely prepared in the Chapel of the Angel within the edicule.
Stasolla cautioned against linking findings directly to Gospel narratives, emphasizing scientific data over faith-based interpretations. “The Holy Sepulcher was built by faith and lives through the faith of believers,” she said. The site reflected Jerusalem’s broader history, shaped by centuries of devotion.
Three communities—Greek Orthodox, Latin Catholic, and Armenian—shared custody of the basilica, celebrating Easter 2025 together under the Status Quo agreement. Stasolla’s team, working tirelessly, experienced profound hospitality and diversity. “This coexistence of welcome and difference is deeply meaningful,” she reflected.