𝗖𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗰𝗵𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘁. 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘆 - Full Video in Description

Location
The Tomb of Mary (mother of Jesus), also known as the Church of the Sepulchre of Saint Mary, is located just a little north of the Garden of Gethsemane in the Kidron Valley. Right beside the Tomb of Mary Church is the Gethsemane Cave Complex.

Historical Background
1. The New Testament is silent regarding the death and burial of Mary, but strong Christian tradition places her tomb at this site.
2. The church is in an underground rock-cut cave in the shape of a cross. It has a wide staircase leading down to the church. It is dimly lit and has blackish ceilings due to centuries of candle burning.
3. The church began as burial caves that were cut into rock in the 1st century.
4. These caves were later expanded in 455 AD into a cross-shaped church with the tomb of Mary in its center.
5. The large crypt containing the empty tomb in the church is all that remains of an early 5th-century church.
6. In the 6th century, an octagon-shaped church was built on the upper level, covering the tomb. However, it was destroyed in the Persian invasion in 614.
7. During the Crusader period (1130), the church was rebuilt and included a Benedictine monastery called the Abbey Church of St. Mary of Jehosaphat. Virtually everything was destroyed by Saladin in 1187 except for the south entrance and staircase.
8. After the Crusaders left, the site was taken over by the Franciscans. Since that time, it has been shared by Greeks, Armenians, Syrians, Copts, Abyssinians, and Muslims.
9. Muslims