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house. The tomb is placed upon the right in a little 
room, about six feet and a half long, by four wide. 
This monument is a species of basin about six feet 
long, and twenty- seven inches wide. It appeared to me 
to be of reddish white marble, and the lid seemed to be 
composed of two stones. The sarcophagus is raised in 
«uch a manner, that it forms a kind of altar upon which 
the monks celebrate mass. The chamber which en- 
closes the tomb is small, and lower than the plane of 
the church; it has no aperture for the circulation of air, 
on which account, and of the great number of lamps 
that are lighted when the house is opened, the heat of 
it is horrible. The sarcophagus is simple, and unadorn- 
ed, but the room is much decorated. 
The Mussulmen say prayers in all the holy places 
consecrated to the memory of Jesus Christ and the Vir- 
gin, except this tomb, which they do not acknowledge. 
They believe that Christ did not die, but that he as- 
cended alive into heaven, leaving the likeness of his 
face to Judas, who was condemned to die for him; and 
that in consequence Judas having been crucified, his 
body might have been contained in this sepulchre, but 
not that of Jesus Christ. It is for this reason that the 
Mussulmen do not perform any act of devotion at this 
monument, and that they ridicule the Christians who 
go to revere it. 
The key of the house containing the tomb of Christ 
is under the care of the Latin monks, but they are pro- 
hibited from opening it, without being accompanied by 
a Greek monk, who remains at the side of the sepulchre 
as long as the house remains open. 
The rotunda, in which stands the chapel of the tomb, 
is supported by rude columns without any architectural 
proportion. On the first plane there is a gallery with 
