The Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher in the heart of the Old City of Jerusalem has received thousands of pilgrims from all over the world. Inside are Calvary, the site of Jesus' crucifixion and death, and the Tomb where Lord Jesus' body was laid and where He rose again.

 On July 15, in front of the Edicule of the Holy Sepulcher, the community of the Custody of the Holy Land in Jerusalem gathered for the solemnity of the Dedication of the Basilica on 15 July 1149. The feast dates back to the Crusader era.

Every year, the celebration provides a remembrance of the many vicissitudes that the Basilica has gone through, up to the present day. It bears witness to the death and resurrection of Jesus, preserving the place where these historical events took place.

For Brother Francesco Patton, Custos of the Holy Land: "This place reminds us and bears witness to the historical reality of the death of Jesus. All three readings tell us about it. However, the readings remind us that this empty tomb is also the concrete and physical place of the resurrection of Jesus Christ".

He adds, “The Sepulcher conveys to us precisely the historical experience that Jesus had as the incarnate Son of God. He died like us, and thus shared our whole life, including the experience of suffering and dying. And yet this place also conveys to us the other side of the coin, namely the resurrection and the reality of the resurrection of Jesus. Therefore, it is a fundamental place for us, because our faith is in fact based on the passion, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus.’

He continues stating, “If this were a myth, if this were an invention or the fruit, as some exegete said, of the hallucination of the women who came to the tomb, our faith would be founded on something very fragile. Instead, this physical place continues, like all the holy places in the Holy Land, to bear witness to the historicity of the salvation that God gives us, and also to the fact that our faith as Christians is a faith that is based on a historical fact, on the mystery of the incarnation. The Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher is a place of pilgrimage and awaits pilgrims.

Brother Francesco Patton, goes on to say, “We hope the pilgrims can return soon. Unfortunately, we have not seen any pilgrims for nine months, but we hope that this place, which is also the sign of reconciliation between God and mankind and between mankind itself, may somehow obtain the gift of peace. May those who pray in this place obtain the gift of peace, and with the gift of peace may the pilgrims also return. So, for us to celebrate here really means reviving our faith, giving a solid foundation to our hope and in turn being invested with this role of witness. Just like the women, like Mary Magdalene, like the Apostles.”

At the moment there are also excavation works to further improve the reception of pilgrims.

On the other hand, Br. Stephane Milovitch, president Franciscan Community Holy Sepulcher,  says, “Thanks to these excavations, we discovered the earlier basilicas. There is the Crusader basilica, the Byzantine basilica. In all the history of this place, today we celebrate the dedication of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher. This is the Crusader basilica but we also commemorate the dedication of the Byzantine basilica in September. These two churches are celebrated today and we can also see them thanks to these excavations.”

He adds, “ We truly hope that, as is the case, always many Christians from around the world, but also many children of Abraham, Jews, Muslims come to this place. And it is always beautiful to contemplate through the diversity of the pilgrims who are here, that Christ is the victor over death to save all the children of Adam, all humanity."