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→Layout of the Church of the Resurrection
==Layout of the Church of the Resurrection==
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is located in the Christian quarters of the old city, on the west side. The church can be approached through a gate in the Christian quarter, from the St. Helena alley. *'''Exterior Courtyard''' - Before entering After passing through the Church, gate of the St. Helena alley there is an a large open courtyardoutside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. On either the north side of this yard, there are small churches and is the main entrance to into the Holy Sepulchre church is and on the north either side of the yard, are a few small chapels. Each year, during During the Holy Week services, this the Patriarchate of Jerusalem , and its Bishops other denominations, hold a traditional ceremony of the washing of the feet, in honour of Christ washing the feet of his apostles and disciples before his crucifixion.
*'''The Holy Entrance''' is the door into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. There is a secondary door built into this main door, which is sealed. They keys for the door are kept by a Muslim family, established in 1520 AD by the Sultan Suleiman. A ritual ceremony has been handed down, involving the opening and closing of the church every day since then. The doors are surrounded by 3 marble columns either side. In 1549, the left marble column was torn when the Holy Light came through it instead of coming from the Tomb of Christ inside the church; that year, sultan Murat had forbiden Partiarch Sofronios IV to go into the church to celebrate the ceremony of the Resurrection, at the request of the Armenian patriarch. Sofronion, the clergy and all the faithful stood outside the main doors and prayed and chanted the service - the Armenian patriarch left embarrassed and the sultan issued a firman that recognised the authority of the Greek Orthodox patriarchate of Jerusalem.
