The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is built on the site where Jesus was believed to have been crucified, buried and rose from the dead. The ancient structure houses multiple chapels administered by different Christian denominations and draws a constant stream of worshipers, pilgrims and tourists. This project is a personal exploration of this mysterious place and how people interact with it.
Men light candles and pray near the Holy Tomb.
Dignitaries celebrate the renovation of the Edicule, which houses Jesus' tomb within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
A Greek Orthodox priest leads a worship service for the World Week of prayer for Christian Unity.
A group of women process by candlelight in an Armenian ceremony.
A woman stops to pray at the entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Papers with written prayers are jambed into a crack of a pillar at the main entrance to the church. Greek Orthodox Christians belive that Holy fire miraculously came out of the crack in 1547 when they were banned from entering the church.
A crowd of pilgrims presses into the stairwell that leads to Calvary.
Visitors jocky for position while trying to get photos during a ceremony at the Holy Tomb.
Incense smoke curls around a Coptic monk as he sings during a service for the World Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
A pilgrim turns to look at a kneeling nun while visiting Calvary, the spot where Jesus was believed to have been crucified.
Candles frame a crucifix in the sanctuary of the Greek Orthodox church inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
A beam of light shines through a window in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre's dome.
Seen through a hole in the Edicule, pilgrims wait to enter Jesus' tomb.
The steps to Calvary, where Jesus was believed to have been crucified, show the wear of millions of footsteps.
A woman uses her phone to photograph an icon of Mary and Jesus as pilgrams kneel and pray in the Greek Orthodox church inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Oil lamps light up a crucifix in the sanctuary of the Greek Orthodox church inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
A woman lays her head tenderly upon the alter above a stone where Jesus was believed to have been tied and whipped.
A pilgrim reaches above a construction barrier to take a photo of the Edicule, the chapel built over the traditional site where Jesus was buried.
A beam of light hits a painting of the crucified Jesus in the Armenian Chapel of the Division of the Raiment.
A man stretches to kiss the Edicule, which houses Jesus' tomb within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
A woman rubs souvenirs on the Stone of Anointing, where Jesus's body was believed to have been prepared for burial.
A man takes photos of the Crusader-era crosses carved into the stones of the church.
A man stops to pray at the main entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
