What makes a place special? Is it the history, the architecture or the people that have lived and died in such a place?. When traveling in the Holy Land, it is often a combination of all three of these factors. This is especially true when one is talking about the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Some time in the 2nd century, the site of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre had been a temple of Aphrodite; several ancient writers alternatively describe it as a temple to Venus, the Roman equivalent to Aphrodite, but many Scholars agree that it was not a proper Christian place of worship until Constantine decided to build a church dedicated to the worship of Jesus Christ.
According to the testimony of several ancient writers of the late fourth Century, in around 325 AD, in the wake of a visit by Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, in Jerusalem, there was a beautiful church built where Jesus was said to be buried and crucified. The prime structure was built soon after 326, commissioned by Emperor Constantine himself. This was a great time of victory for the Christian world in General as the Emperor, and especially his Mother has undertaken to spread the word of God, whenever and wherever it was possible for them to do so.
This is now known as the church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Helene was said to be present throughout the excavation, where it is alleged she rediscovered the True Cross, and a tomb, though most trusted accounts of this time makes no specific recollection of Helena’s presence at the excavation, nor of the finding of the cross, but only the tomb.
The Holy Sepulchre is considered mainly as the site of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This assumption is not made solely by myth or vague recollection, but has been proven by lots of historical and archeological evidence, and the fact that there are at the time of Jesus outside the former city walls, was the place where crucifixions took place. This is demonstrated by several graves in the area of the church (there are currently seven known graves).
