661 
The Holy Sepulchre, 
the same reason, I shall be its last his¬ 
torian, 
I found nothing satisfactory on the sub¬ 
ject of the Holy Sepulchre in Pococke, 
Shaw, Mauudrell, Hasselquist, and some 
others. The scholars and travellers who 
have written in Latin concerning the an¬ 
tiquities of Jerusalem, as Adamannus, 
Bede, Brocard, Willibald, Breydenbach, 
Sanuto, Ludolph, Reland, Adrichomius, 
Qiiaresmius, Baumgarten, Fureri, Bo- 
chart, Arias Montanus, Reuwich, Hesse, 
and Cotovie, would impose the necessity 
of making translations, which, after ail, 
would furnish the reader with no new 
information. I have, therefore, adhered 
to the French travellers, and among 
these I have preferred the description of 
the Holy Sepulchre by Deshayes. 
Deshayes will, therefore, furnish us 
with the description of the church of the 
Holy Sepulchre, to which I shali subjoin 
niy observations,—^It comprehends the 
Holy Sepulchre, Mount Calvary, and 
several other sacred places. It was 
partly built by direction of St. Helena, 
to cover the Holy Sepulchre; but the 
Christian princes ot succeeding ages 
caused it to be enlarged, so as to include 
Mount Calvary, which is only fifty paces 
from the sepulchre. 
The church of the Holy Sepulchre is 
very irregular, owing to the nature and 
situation of the places which it was de¬ 
signed to comprehend. It is nearly in 
the form of a cross, being one hundred 
and twenty paces in length, exclusive of 
the descent to the discovery of the Holy 
Cross, and seventy in breadth. It has 
three domes, of which that covering the 
Holy Sepulchre serves for the nave of the 
church. It is thirty feet in diameter, 
and is covered at top like the Rotunda 
at Rome. There is no cupola, it is true ; 
the roof being supported only by large 
rafters, brought from Mount Lebanon. 
This church had formerly three entrances, 
but now there is but one door, the keys 
of which are cautiously kept by the Turks, 
lest the pilgrims should gain admittance 
without paying the nine sequins, or thirty- 
six livres, demanded for this indulgence ; 
1 allude to those from Cliristendom; for 
the Christian subjects of the Grand 
Signor pay no more than half that sum. 
This door is always shut; and there is 
only a small window, crossed with an 
iron bar, through which the people with¬ 
out hand provisions to those within, who 
are of eight different nations. 
The first is that of the Latins or Ro¬ 
mans, which is represented by tiie Iran- 
ciscan friars. They are the keepers of 
the Holy Sepulchre; the place on Mount 
Calvary, where our Lord was nailed to 
the cross; the spot where the sacred 
Cross was discovered; tlie Slone of Unc¬ 
tion, and the Chapel where our Lord ap¬ 
peared to the blessed Virgin after his 
resurj"eclion. 
The second nation is that of the Greeks, 
,who have the choir of the church, where 
they officiate ; in the midst of it is a 
small circle of marble; the centre of 
which they look upon as the middle of 
the globe. 
The third is the nation of the Abyssi- 
nians, to whom belongs the chapel con¬ 
taining the pillar of hnproperc. 
The fourth nation is that of the Copts, 
w’Ijo are Egyptian Christians ; these have 
a small oratory near the Holy Sepulchre. 
The fifth nation is the Armenian. 
They have the chapel of St. Helena, and 
that where the soldiers cast lots for, and 
divided the, apparel of our Lord. 
The sixth nation is that of the Nesto- 
rians, or Jacobites, who are natives of 
Chaldea and of Syria. These have a 
small chapel near the spot where our 
Lord appeared to Mary Magdalen in] the 
form of a gardener, and which is, on that 
account,denominated Magdalen’s Chapel. 
The seventh is the nation of the Geor¬ 
gians, who inhabit the country between 
the Euxine and the Caspian Sea, They 
keep the place on Mount Calvary where 
the cross was prepared, and the prison 
in which our Lord was confined till the 
hole was ipade to set it up in. 
The eighth nation is that of the iMaron® 
ites, who inhabit Mount Lebanon. Like 
us, they acknowledge the supremacy of 
the Pope. 
On entering the church, you come to 
the Stone of Unction, on which the body 
of our Lord was anointed with myrrh and 
aloes, before it was laid in the sepulchre. 
Some say that it is of the same rock as 
Mount Calvary; and others assert that 
it was brought to this place by Joseph 
and Nicodemus, secret disciples of Jesus 
Christ, who performed this pious office, 
and that it is of a greenish color. Be 
that as it may, on account of the indis- 
cretiijin of certain pilgrims, who broke 
off pieces, it was found necessary to cover 
it with white marble, and to surround 
it with an iron railing, lest people should 
w-alk over it. This stone is eight feet, 
wanting three inches, in length, and two 
feet, w'anting one inch, in breadth ; and 
above it, eight lamps are kept continually 
burning. 
4Pa 
