A Transdisciplinary Approach to Reveal the Structural Evolution of the Holy Aedicule in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Abstract

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is one of the most important religious sites of Christianity. It dates back to 326AD, when Emperor Constantine I ordered the construction of a basilica incorporating the Tomb of Christ within an Aedicule, and the hill of Golgotha. The Aedicule has undergone many reconstruction phases and restoration interventions, while sustaining many damages throughout its rich history. Recently, a project regarding conservation, reinforcement and repair interventions for the rehabilitation of the Holy Aedicule was successfully implemented. As part of this rehabilitation Works, ground penetrating radar (GPR) was employed for the survey of the Holy Aedicule to reveal the internal structural layers of the structure. Information from historical documentation and architectural analysis were correlated with findings from GPR prospection. This transdisciplinary approach allowed the elucidation of the structural evolution of the Aedicule. It revealed remnants of the original living rock of the 4th century Aedicule, surrounded by type of masonry dating to the Byzantine period, to the Crusader period and to 19th century major reconstructions. In addition, GPR and architectural analysis of the Aedicule’s structure revealed remnants of characteristic features of the 11th century Aedicule and large structural parts of the previous Aedicule below the height level of these two Domes.