Researchers from the Austrian Academy of Sciences have made an astonishing discovery. In Jerusalem, at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the site believed to be where Jesus Christ was buried and resurrected, they uncovered a long-lost altar.
The altar was first stumbled upon by builders who flipped over a massive stone slab that had been leaning against the wall of the church and was covered in numerous tourist graffiti.
The slab, measuring 2.4 meters long and 1.5 meters wide, was adorned with ribbon-like patterns, a style typical of medieval Romans. Archaeologists also noticed certain markings on the stone that led them to believe it was indeed the lost altar consecrated in 1149.
It was thought to have been destroyed by a fire in 1808. Thus, “for historians, this discovery is a sensation from every perspective,” stated the Austrian researchers. They were particularly surprised that the slab had remained hidden for so long in such an intensively studied and visited pilgrimage site as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
The Altar and Cosmatesque
This church, which attracts around four million visitors each year, was built in 335 AD on the site of a Roman temple dedicated to the goddess Venus. The construction of the new church was commissioned by Roman Emperor Constantine I. During the building process, a tomb was discovered that is believed to be the burial place of Jesus.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre has faced attacks over the centuries, being destroyed by the Persian army in 614 and nearly obliterated in 1009. In the 1800s, it was consumed by fire. Since then, the altar had been considered lost.
Tourists had long and thoroughly covered the back of the altar with graffiti. Perhaps that’s why it remained unnoticed for so long. On the hidden side, researchers discovered decor executed in the cosmatesque technique, as reported by the Daily Mail.
This technique was used by craftsmen from Rome who passed their skills down through generations, experts explained. A key feature of this technique was the decoration of large surfaces with a small amount of precious marble.
“In medieval Rome, marble was mostly salvaged from ancient buildings, meaning cosmatesque artisans ‘optimized’ any marble they could find,” the scientists noted. With remarkable precision, these craftsmen joined small pieces of marble, resulting in intricate geometric patterns and stunning ornaments.
According to experts, the Pope valued cosmatesque artworks so highly that they were rarely found outside of Rome. To date, only one has been discovered outside Italy: it is housed in Westminster Abbey in London.
Austrian researchers suggested that the altar found in Jerusalem was likely also created with the Pope’s blessing.
A Treasure Trove of Discoveries
Restoration work is continuously underway at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, during which experts frequently uncover historical treasures.
In 2016, a group of restorers from the National Technical University of Athens stumbled upon a limestone burial slab inside Jesus’ tomb, which had been covered with layers of marble around 1555.
According to Scripture, after his crucifixion by the Romans, Christ’s body was laid on a slab hewn from a limestone cave. He resurrected three days after his death, and the women who came to anoint his body found no remains.
“We cannot be absolutely certain that the site of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the burial place of Jesus, but we certainly have no other site that could claim this, and we have no reason to deny the authenticity of this place,” said leading Israeli archaeologist Dan Bahat.
In 2018, dozens of crosses were discovered on the walls of the church, likely carved by the Crusaders. In 2021, archaeologists conducted a thorough analysis and found that the carvings were made by masons from the 15th century, who were paid by pilgrims seeking additional assurances of safety.