Find in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Long-lost Crusader altar discovered

(Bild: Israel Antiquities Authority)

Sensational find in Israel: researchers have discovered a long-lost Crusader altar (pictured above) in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, one of the largest shrines of Christianity.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is visited by thousands of pilgrims and tourists every day. And it has always been a target for scientists from all over the world. You would think that every cubic centimeter of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem has been well researched. Not at all! Because now historians from Israel and the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) have - by chance - made a sensational discovery.

Massive stone slab turned over for construction work
Behind a stone slab weighing several tons, on which tourists immortalized themselves with graffiti, they uncovered a Crusader altar that had been lost for many decades.

Behind this stone slab, the researchers found the altar of the Crusaders, which had been lost for many decades.(Bild: Israel Antiquities Authority)

Historian: "Came as a surprise to everyone"
"The fact that something so important could lie around unrecognized for so long in this place of all places was completely unexpected for everyone involved," explains ÖAW historian Ilya Berkovich.

But what is the story behind the altar? At the end of the 11th and beginning of the 12th century, European crusaders reconquered the Holy City. On June 15, 1149, exactly 875 years ago, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (pictured below) was reconsecrated.

The altar had been considered lost since 1808
The newly created and extraordinarily decorated high altar of the Crusaders also saw the light of day on this day. Since a fire in the Romanesque part of the church in 1808, the work of art had been considered lost. Until it reappeared behind the stone slab these days.