Okay, this isn’t a mission story, but we have just celebrated Palm Sunday, and next week is one of the two most important holidays that we as Christians celebrate (the other, of course, is Christmas), we just had to include this story from The Christian Post (christianpost.com) on March 28, 2025.
“Archaeologists excavating beneath the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem’s Old City have uncovered evidence of an ancient garden.
“The findings, revealed through a landmark excavation conducted as part of renovations in the church, showed evidence of the presence of olive trees and grapevines from around 2,000 years ago. This evidence aligns with the Gospel of John’s description of the site where Jesus was crucified and buried.
“Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.” (John 19:41)
“Traces of the olive trees and grapevines were identified via archaeobotanical and pollen analysis.
“The excavation, led by Professor Francesca Romana Stasolla of Sapienza University in Rome, began in 2022 as part of a restoration project. It marks the first major renovation in the church since the 19th century and had to be agreed upon by the church’s three main custodians: the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, the Custody of the Holy Land (Roman Catholic) and the Armenian Patriarchate. It also required a license from the Israel Antiquities Authority.
“With the renovation works, the religious communities decided to also allow archaeological excavations under the floor,” Stasolla told the Times of Israel. At present, there are no exposed digging areas, as the churches are preparing for the upcoming Easter celebrations, which usually bring large crowds of pilgrims.
“During the excavations, the team dug beneath the basilica’s floor, uncovering layers dating back to the Iron Age, including pottery, oil lamps and burial sites. The pre-Christian era garden evidence, found in soil samples, suggests the area transitioned from a quarry to cultivated land before becoming a burial site.
“The Church of the Holy Sepulchre marks the traditional site of both Golgotha (Calvary) and Jesus’ tomb. The first church on the site was established by Emperor Constantine in the 4th century after his mother, Helena, identified the location.
“The excavation by Stasolla’s team also revealed a circular marble base beneath the aedicule — the shrine encasing the tomb — believed to be part of Constantine’s original structure, as early depictions from the fifth and sixth centuries describe it as circular. ” You can read the rest of this story by clicking here: