Search for Jesus' tomb leads to discovery of ancient structure marking his burial site

At the heart of an ancient church in Jerusalem lies a rock-cut burial chamber that millions believe once held the body of Jesus Christ.

The tomb sits inside a small shrine within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which Christians have revered as the site of Jesus' crucifixion, burial and resurrection for nearly 1,700 years.

Now, archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a 20-foot-wide circular marble monument built around the burial chamber, offering new physical evidence of how this particular tomb was singled out and honored in antiquity.

Researchers found that the surrounding rock had been deliberately cut away, leaving behind what archaeologist Francesca Romana Stasolla described as 'the chamber in which tradition recalled the deposition of Christ.'

The discovery raises the possibility that the monument was built around this particular tomb because early Christians knew it was Jesus' burial place, a belief that may have been passed down through generations.

Fragments of the ancient structure were discovered beneath the present-day shrine, with researchers suggesting its circular design may reflect that of the original monument commissioned by Roman emperor Constantine nearly 1,700 years ago.

Stasolla explained that 'the monumentalization was kept to a minimum, in an effort to preserve as far as possible the original appearance of the venerated Tomb.'

Although the surviving marble may belong to a later phase of construction, researchers described the discovery as 'the earliest archaeologically documented monument built around the venerated tomb.'

Stasolla also suggested that the tomb's identification with Jesus may have survived through an ancient chain of memory.

'It is nonetheless possible that the memory of this tomb had crystallized within the early community and had been transmitted across generations,' she wrote in the excavation report.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre attracts an estimated four million visitors each year.

The original church was dedicated in AD 335 after Roman buildings at the site, traditionally described as a temple to the goddess Venus, were demolished.

During the work, builders uncovered a rock-cut chamber that was identified as the burial place of Jesus, who had died nearly 300 years earlier.

Emperor Constantine's workers focused on one particular tomb that was already being venerated as Christ's burial place, excavating around it to separate it from the surrounding graves. 

The second church at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which stands today, was built and restored starting around 614 to 626 AD, following the destruction and fire caused by the Persian Sassanid invasion.

Many scholars support the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as the site, citing the presence of rock-cut tombs from the first century. 

Others argue that the Garden Tomb, another ancient burial site in Jerusalem, better matches biblical descriptions.

The latest findings are detailed in a new 605-page report resulting from excavations conducted from May 2022 to October 2025.

The surviving structure was constructed from recycled marble slabs, carefully shaped and joined with mortar to form a circular platform centered on the burial chamber.

Archaeologists also identified a narrow channel carved into the marble, apparently designed to carry water around the monument and into a nearby collection system.

But the marble itself holds another clue to the shrine's turbulent past.

Two of the surviving slabs bear faint traces of ancient decorative patterns that appear to date from after Constantine's reign, suggesting the structure may have been rebuilt or repaired centuries after its original construction.

Stasolla raised the possibility that the surviving marble belonged to restoration work carried out following the Persian attack on Jerusalem in 614 AD.

Researchers are now examining the mortar used to join the slabs in an effort to establish when different parts of the structure were assembled.

Despite those uncertainties, the monument's circular shape closely matches early depictions of the shrine, leading archaeologists to believe that the original fourth-century structure may have followed the same design.

That early monument may also have featured a ring of small columns, an arrangement depicted in ancient representations of the tomb and echoed in descriptions left by later pilgrims.

However, only a portion of the marble base has survived, preventing researchers from determining exactly how the original structure appeared.

The report also included the discovery of an ancient road leading out of where the church stands, which archaeologists speculated could have been a path of execution.

The surviving section measures roughly 10 by 12 feet and lies beneath a Crusader-era walkway inside the church. Its original edges no longer survive, but its curve and pronounced slope suggest it climbed toward the southwest.

Professor Francesca Romana Stasolla, who leads the excavation, wrote: 'One possibility – at present no more than a hypothesis – is that this was a suburban road ascending toward the area of the Calvary, assuming that the site functioned as a place of public executions.' The Bible says Jesus was crucified on Calvary.

Stasolla considered whether it served Roman construction crews, but the step would have hindered carts hauling heavy building materials. Its construction and dimensions also made it unlikely to have been merely a small path leading to nearby tombs.

Roman executions were public spectacles, and an approach road needed to accommodate spectators whose presence added to the humiliation of the condemned.