You Can Visit The Tomb Of Jesus – 3D Virtual Tour Opens Soon

AncientPages.com - The National Geographic Museum in Washington, D.C  will open a  3D virtual tour of the Holy Sepulchre, the site of Jesus’ tomb on November 15.

The exhibit will most likely draw tourists from around the country, but it’s also exciting news for those who cannot visit the place due to distance, disability or cost.

Dr. Anthony Lilles, academic dean and theology professor at Saint John’s Seminary in Camarillo thinks the event can become a pilgrimage site.

The Holy Edicule, the shrine that surrounds the rock tomb traditionally believed to belong to Jesus Christ, sits within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Here, a conservation team led by the National Technical University of Athens works on a long-awaited restoration project of the structure. Credit: ODED BALILTY / NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

“A tourist goes because they are curious, a pilgrim goes for a sacred purpose,” Dr. Lilles explained.

“We must not, so to say, stay on the level of surface appearance, but instead allow our imaginations to be baptized by the places we are visiting virtually – thinking about the reality of Christ’s historical presence and what it means for our lives now.”

Veneration of Christ's burial place dates back to St. Helena in the fourth century, who discovered and identified the tomb. St. Helena’s son, Emperor Constantine, built the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 326 and enshrined the tomb.

The shelf on which Christ's body was laid is the central point of veneration, which has been encapsulated by a 3-by-5 foot marble structure - the Edicule - since at least 1555.

See also:

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The virtual tour will give viewers a unique historical glimpse of the holy site and shows the new technologies used in its restoration.

A year-long restoration of the site was recently completed, and scientists are looking into additional restoration work on the foundation.

Dr. Lilles emphasized people should not only focus on the beauty of the place, and learn about history, but use the opportunity for a deeper devotion to Christ.

Image credit: National Geographic

 “As beautiful as a virtual exhibit may be, we can be too passive in our engagement with holy places precisely because we are only experiencing them virtually,” he cautioned. He encourage people to prepare properly reading the Gospel accounts of Christ’s passion and resurrection before visiting.

He added the pilgrimage should be accompanied closely by Mass, confession, and a work of charity. It should culminate with firm resolutions on how to “live differently in light of the mystery of our faith.”

The three-dimensional tour opens on Nov. 15 in Washington D.C. and will continue until August 15, 2018.

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