What happens in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher at night

The three main denominations that run the temple are the Greek, Armenian and Catholic churches. They may invite someone to stay at the temple at night, between 7:00 pm and 4:00 am. But for an invitation by the Greeks (whose group includes the Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox Church) and Catholics, permission from church hierarchs is required. And for an invitation to the Armenians, it is enough to be an Armenian (or impeccably say "barev dzes", as I did).

If you were invited, at 18:45, when visitors are being driven out of the temple, you need to quietly stand at the wall in front of the exit (Armenians are on the left, the rest are on the right, when viewed from the doors). It so happened that I was alone at the Armenian wall, and the Greeks and Catholics invited about 15 people. In addition to us, there were about ten more priests in the church at night, and that was it.

At 19:00 the church is locked from the outside. From time immemorial, this has been done by an Arab family that passes the keys from generation to generation. In fact, family members themselves lock and unlock the doors only on holidays, on other days they send a hired worker. Outside, many have seen this procedure: the lower lock, a ladder to get to the upper lock, after which the ladder is passed inside through the window in the door. And here's what's going on inside. The denominations take turns locking the inner bolts. Today Greeks, tomorrow Catholics, the day after tomorrow Armenians. Those who are locked tomorrow lean the ladder against the door. Question with an asterisk: is it possible to get out of the temple, which is closed from the outside? In emergency cases, yes.

What are you saying, boy? Is there a toilet in the temple? Here you are restless! There are six cabins. And there are rest rooms for all denominations, with tables and kitchens. In the Armenian I drank coffee and napped for an hour on a bench. I also had a very sincere conversation with new acquaintances about why the police stopped monitoring security in the temple, about conflicts with neighboring denominations, and about why Catholics put a stepladder over the anointing stone every year.

But back to the night schedule. The first hour is for cleaning. Just that night it was the turn of the Armenians to clean up around the Holy Sepulcher. While the rest of the invitees silently sat down near the chapel, I volunteered to help clean up. I cleaned the large candlestick from wax, rubbed the "place of the Virgin Mary" from the oil, scratched and swept the floors. He also tidied up the chapel of the coffin itself, and then, as a cleaner, he was the first to pray there. When I finished, the rest of the guests rushed inside, like kites, and I wanted to say: "Where for the washed!"

Then free time until midnight. At half past one, a priest from each denomination begins to go around the temple with censers. I watched them from above, by that time I could already open the doors of the balcony from the Armenian side.

All three denominations hold liturgies daily. Every single day. Greeks at one in the morning, Armenians at three (first they ring the bells), Catholics at five. At this time, only representatives of the confession and their invitees can be present at the site with the tomb of the Lord. What does it say? For twenty minutes I was the only one who could pray at the tomb. Then he defended the sermon, took communion. At five o'clock, when the liturgy of the Catholics began, he left the church.

When next Easter the broadcast will show how three denominations are fighting for the right to be the first to receive the Holy Fire, I already know which team I will root for.

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