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In the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, the sacred fire has been lit. Tens of thousands of Orthodox Christian pilgrims often go there to witness the event, which occurs on the Saturday before Orthodox Easter begins. But this year, nothing is as always.
Only a few priests shared this year in the Holy Fire in Jerusalem.
The event is described as a miracle by Orthodox Christians, and many dream of witnessing it in Jerusalem.
The fire, which, according to believers, ignites spontaneously, symbolizes the resurrection of Jesus. Seeing it illuminated is a popular feature of the Orthodox celebration of Easter in Jerusalem.
The church bells ring when Patriarch Theophilos III comes out of the church’s crypt, the crypt where Jesus, according to Christianity, was buried after the crucifixion.
In his hand he holds a burning candle, something that was welcomed by tens of thousands of enthusiastic visitors to the church in previous years.
Now there are only a handful of priests.
In ordinary cases, after leaving the crypt, the patriarch would share the flame of light with the believers, who would then light a sea of small candles.
But this year, this is possible thanks to the strict quarantine rules that have been introduced to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Jerusalem is a city with holy places for Christians, Jews and Muslims. To prevent the spread of infection, the leaders of the three religions have already decided to close the holy sites.
Today, Jerusalem is largely deserted, in addition to the sparse crowd gathered in the church.
A video recording of the celebration shows a dozen Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox and Coptic priests outside the crypt.
They are dressed in traditional black. But this year, some of them also combine the Easter outfit with light blue masks.
Church of the Holy Sepulcher
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher, or Church of Revelation, is located between the Jaffa Gate and the Damascus Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem.
The complex contains two extremely sacred sites for Christianity; Calvary, the height at which Jesus is said to have been crucified, and the empty tomb from which Jesus rose according to faith.
The church is a major tourist destination and constantly attracts large crowds of visitors.
