Jerusalem's Most Surprising Unexplored Site

St. Longinus Chapel

It's true.  Jerusalem's most surprising unexplored site is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.  Pilgrims crowd into the church daily to worship on Mount Calvary and venerate the Tomb of Jesus.  But otherwise they neglect the vast expanse of this great church.

Throughout the church, there are chapels recalling the people and events of that first Good Friday and Easter.  There is the Chapel of Adam directly beneath Golgotha.  It is remembered as the burial place of Adam.  An early tradition tells of Jesus' blood flowing down over the skull of Adam and creating a "new Adam."

The chapel that I particularly like remembers the centurion on duty at the cross that fateful day.  You too know his words: "truly, this man was the Son of God."

Three times in the scriptures, centurions are mentioned.  Each time they are recounted in a positive light.  In addition to Longinus, they are the centurion of Capernaum in Luke 7 and Cornelius of Caesarea Maritima in Acts 10.  Only tradition identifies the centurion at the cross by name.