Who are the keepers of the key to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Jesus Christ is said to be buried?
Jerusalem is a holy city for many religions. One of the most important shrines for Christians is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It was built on the spot where tradition has it that Jesus Christ was crucified, buried and rose from the dead three days later. Anyone who has kept the keys to the temple for more than a thousand years does not belong to any Christian denomination. There are two Muslim families who act as guards.
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Every day at half past three in the morning, Adeeb walks the cobbled streets of Jerusalem’s Old City on a quest he inherited from his father. He holds the key to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, one of the holiest places in the world for Christians.
Six Christian denominations share the space of the church, but who has the key and the right to open the door are two guardians who are not from either of them: they are Muslims, descendants of two families who have taken on the task at least five centuries.
But this documented time could be longer: There are reports from pilgrims that prove that the key has been with the Muslims for more than eight centuries.
“This key has been around since 1149, the time of the Crusades. Almost a thousand years!” explains Adeeb.
Adeeb claims that this key is the original key given to his family under Sultan Saladin in 1187 and that he is the 28th generation on this mission. Adeeb’s family isn’t the only one taking care of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre’s door. Muslim Wajeeh from the Nuseibeh family is also one of those in charge of the watch.
“Having Muslims in charge of the keys has long pacified Christian communities because Armenians were not jealous of Catholics, Catholics of Orthodox, or Orthodox of others. So it worked for that. But that there were conflicts for other reasons, of course yes,” explains Yiska Harani, researcher in the history of Christianity.
Adeeb started going to church with his father when he was eight. He also takes part in one of the most important Easter moments of the place: the sacred fire ceremony. Every Sunday before Orthodox Easter, believers gather in front of the small house to see the precise moment, at two o’clock in the afternoon, when a ray of light enters the church and lights a candle. The fire is then shared among all.
“I enter the tomb with a bishop from the Armenian Church and a bishop from the Orthodox Church to make sure there are no lights or candles burning inside. Then I use a sigil to seal the tomb door. That means everyone can celebrate Easter,” explains Adeeb, who, at almost 60, considers the church his second home.
At 8.30 p.m. the ceremony of closing the Holy Sepulcher begins. The guard locks the tomb and you have to use a ladder to reach the padlock. Adeeb brings the key that has been fundamental here for centuries. At four in the morning it opens again.
See the full report in the video above.
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