Every year, on July 15, the Church of Jerusalem meets in the place that represents the heart of Christianity to commemorate a particular anniversary: the dedication of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher (also known as the Basilica of the Anastasis, meaning Resurrection). A solemnity that renews the joy of the Easter mystery in the people of God, uniting in a single place the memory of the death and resurrection of Christ.

The building, which today welcomes pilgrims from all over the world, has its roots in the 4th century, when the Emperor Constantine and his mother, Saint Helena, promoted its construction, culminating in the first consecration in September 355.

Over the centuries, the sanctuary underwent profound transformations until it took on its current appearance in the Crusader era, uniting the ancient Constantinian structures with the new medieval building, solemnly dedicated precisely on July 15, 1149.

The liturgical rite of Dedication is characterized by the anointing and incensing of the altar and the walls of the building. This solemn liturgy, which is celebrated at the inauguration of every church, recalls that the sacred building is the visible sign of the only true temple: the mystical Body of Christ, formed by all the baptized.

Celebrating this anniversary therefore means giving voice back to those stones that saw the mysteries of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ accomplished. For 870 years, Jerusalem has preserved and renewed this rite, inviting the universal Church to rediscover itself as a united, living community, perpetually illuminated by the light of the Resurrection.

Today's liturgy was presided over by the Father Custos, Fr. Francesco Ielpo, who concelebrated with the Benedictine abbot of the Dormition Basilica, Nikodemus Schnabel, the Benedictine abbot of Maria Laach, Mauritius Wilde, and the cardinal and archbishop of Krakow Grzegorz Ryś. Some members of the Order of the Equestrian Knights of the Holy Sepulcher also took part in the celebration, who in recent weeks have carried out a useful service at the Basilica, namely the cleaning and restoration of the candelabra.

In his homily, the Custos reaffirmed the importance of this anniversary. "Celebrating the dedication of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher," Fr. Ielpo began, "we commemorate not simply a building, but the heart of our faith. This Basilica guards the memory of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And it guards the empty tomb, from which the hope of the world sprang."