The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, part three .... that LADDER !

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is owned jointly by the Greek Orthodox, the Catholics and the Armenian Orthodox.   In addition, the Syriac, Ethiopian and Coptic orthodox have the right to use certain areas within the church.  (The Ethiopian monks live on the roof, in a sort of African village). 

The Ottoman Turks created a decree in 1757 giving rights of possession which is called 'The Status Quo', and each religious group guards its rights enthusiastically, even down to who sweep certain areas of the floor.  Rows have ensued if one person sweeps one line of paving stones beyond their 'boundary' on the floor !!

So, the ladder !   It has apparently been propped outside the window as in the photograph for so long that it is said no-one knows how it got there !   It appears in an engraving of the church dated 1728, so could have been there for 300 years.  Suggestions are that it was left there accidentally by a stone-mason or window-cleaner, but no-one really knows for sure.  It is mentioned in the 'Status Quo' documents as being in the area of the church 'owned' by the Armenians, so as it is mentioned when the 'Status Quo began in 1757, it must stay there.

HOWEVER, in 1997 the ladder disappeared for some weeks; a Protestant prankster managed to remove it and hid it in the church behind one of the many altars, and when it was later found and replaced, a steel grating was installed on the cornice over the lower part of the stonework under the window above the blocked door .... BUT in 2009 the ladder mysteriously 'jumped' against the left-hand window where it remained for a day, and now it is back in the place it has been for almost three centuries.

One rather nice thing in the 'Status Quo' document is that it confirms a decree of 1246, which states the right of two Muslim families to hold the keys of the church, and the task of locking and unlocking the doors every day.  

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I love all the Biblical stories and how visiting these places backs up what we read.  Likewise, the way tradition is upheld over hundreds and hundreds of years.   Also the more amusing tales such as the one about Flinders Petrie's head in a hat box !   Thinking of my travels in Africa, and the oral tradition, and the questions raised, such as the mysterious Mountains of Kong that don't exist except in a travellers imagination .... wonderful things to ponder !!