Pressed against a wall in a back corridor of Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a stone slab bore testimony only to the graffiti etched on it by multitudes of pilgrims through the ages.
But the 2.5 x 1.5 metre stone turned out to be far more precious when its other side was exposed during recent renovations at the church, the traditional site of Jesus’s crucifixion and burial.
Researchers believe the elaborate looping ornaments they found on the long-hidden part of the slab indicate it was once the decorated front of a medieval high altar that took pride of place centuries ago in one of Christianity’s holiest sites.
Researchers believe elaborate looping ornaments they found on a long-hidden part of a stone slab indicate it was once the decorated front of a medieval high altar that took pride of place centuries ago in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre https://t.co/hFgrakdlow
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 13, 2022