World · Middle East · 5 hrs ago
Ancient garden and tombs found beneath Jerusalem church, but not identified as Jesus’s
Since 2022, Italian archaeologists have excavated beneath Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre during work to restore its floor.
They found traces of a garden, including evidence of olive trees and grapevines, alongside tombs cut into rock, dating to about 2,000 years ago.
The garden fits the setting described in the Gospel of John, which says a garden was near the place where Jesus was crucified and buried.
But the finds do not identify who was buried there, so they do not prove that Jesus’s tomb has been found.
The church has been associated with Jesus’s tomb since the fourth century, when Emperor Constantine had a tomb opened that Christians revered as his, though whether that tradition reaches back to the first century is unknown.
Earlier claims about the Garden Tomb and a tomb in Talpiot were rejected by many archaeologists and biblical scholars; the Garden Tomb is much older than Jesus’s time.
Where Jesus was buried remains unknown, and the excavation has not established that the tomb beneath the church was his.
Italian archaeologists found traces of a garden about 2,000 years old beneath Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
The remains include evidence of olive trees and vines, as well as tombs cut into rock.
The garden and tombs fit the setting described in the Gospel of John, but do not identify who was buried there.
Excavations by a team from Sapienza University of Rome began in 2022 during floor restoration work.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre has been associated with Jesus’s tomb since at least the fourth century, but the site’s connection to the first century is uncertain.
- Who
- Italian archaeologists from Sapienza University of Rome.
- What
- They found traces of an ancient garden and rock-cut tombs beneath the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The finds do not establish that Jesus was buried there.
- When
- Excavations began in 2022; the findings were reported on October 29, 2026.
- Where
- Beneath the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
- Why
- The excavation was carried out during restoration of the church floor.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
A team from Sapienza University of Rome began excavating beneath the church floor during restoration work.
Emperor Constantine had a tomb cut out at the site, which Christians revered as Jesus’s tomb.
Welingelichte Kringen reported the discovery of traces of a garden and tombs beneath the church.
- Excavation team
- Sapienza University of Rome
- Excavation began
- 2022
- Garden age
- About 2,000 years
- Plant remains
- Olive trees and vines
- Location
- Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem
- Tomb identification
- No evidence identifies who was buried there
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