Contested Landscape: Church of the Holy Sepulcher

 Contested Landscape: The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is the holiest site in the Christian faith. It is the sight were Jesus was Crucified, Buried, and rose from the dead. Due to this fact the site has been hotly contested by various groups for literally thousands of years. The first Church of the Holy Sepulcher was built by Constantine the Great in the year 336 AD. In the year 614 the Persians destroyed the original church, a few years later in 626 it was rebuilt and stood for nearly 400 years before being burned down by the Fatimid ‘mad caliph’ (his nickname) al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah in 1009. This and a number of other factors would result in the calling of the Crusades. In the 12^th century the Crusaders
would restore the church and give it it’s current appearance. Unfortunately however in 1808 a fire would destroy much of the church. 2 years later in 1810 the current church was built. The modern Church is actually six different Churches in one, the Church is divided by six different Apostolic Churches: Greek Orthodox, Latin Catholics, Armenian Orthodox, Copts, Ethiopians, and Syrian-Jacobite’s. Each sect controls a different part of the Church which results in different forms of artwork adorning different areas of the inside of the Church which makes for a completely unique look. The keys for the Church are actually owned by two Muslim families and have been for hundreds of years, there is a unique ceremony like event when the Church doors are opened everyday. The Holy Sepulcher is truly one of the most unique religious sites from around the world if not the most. Everything from who controls the church to the artwork inside of it is completely unique which makes for a one of a kind church going experience. To conclude: The Holy Sepulcher is the most hotly contested Church in all of history and as such operates in a completely unique way in order to keep the peace between various different sects and the wider religious world.