On July 15, 1149, Jerusalem marked a significant milestone: fifty years prior, European Crusaders had captured the Holy City and established the Kingdom of Jerusalem, ending centuries of Muslim rule. This golden jubilee was celebrated with a grand reconsecration of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, one of Christianity’s holiest sites. At the heart of the newly expanded Romanesque church was a remarkable new high altar.

We know from 16th, 17th, and 18th-century pilgrim accounts about a magnificent marble altar in Jerusalem, says Ilya Berkovich, a historian at the Institute for Habsburg and Balkan Studies of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) and co-author of a new study on this historical artwork.

Despite the lasting impression the altar made over the centuries, it abruptly vanished from public awareness. In 1808, a massive fire engulfed the Romanesque section of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Berkovich explains. Since then, it was believed the Crusaders’ altar was lost.

The back of the altar
The back of the altar. Credit: Amit Re’em / Israel Antiquities Authority

Recently, district archaeologist Amit Re’em from the Israel Antiquities Authority and historian Ilya Berkovich made a sensational discovery within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. In a rear corridor open to the public, they found a massive stone slab, weighing several tons, that had gone unnoticed and was covered in graffiti left by tourists.

When this slab was overturned during renovation work, its much older artistic heritage was revealed: the ornately decorated back of the slab was quickly identified as the long-lost front of the medieval Crusaders’ high altar.

This discovery is extraordinary for several reasons. Firstly, the slab remained hidden in plain sight in such a heavily studied building, despite being seen by thousands of pilgrims and tourists daily. That something so significant could go unrecognized in that location for so long was completely unexpected for everyone involved, Berkovich confirms.

Preliminary digital reconstruction of the Crusader high altar
Preliminary digital reconstruction of the Crusader high altar. Credit: Roy Elbag / Ilya Berkovich / Amit Re’em

Equally significant is what this discovery reveals about the medieval high altar. The intricate decorations led researchers to identify it as a work of the Cosmatesque style. This special marble decoration technique was mastered exclusively by guild artisans in Papal Rome, passed down through generations. The technique involved using small amounts of precious marble, often scavenged from ancient buildings in Rome, and meticulously placing small fragments on stone bases to create dazzling geometric patterns and ornaments.

The value of this art was well known, not only to its creators but also to the Pope. There are few known Cosmatesque artworks outside Rome, and until now, only one outside Italy: in Westminster Abbey, where the Pope sent one of his masters. The newly rediscovered Cosmatesque altar in Jerusalem must have been created with Papal assistance, sending one of these skilled artisans to the Kingdom of Jerusalem. By commissioning this altar, the Pope literally affirmed Christendom’s claim over the city, states Berkovich.

The rediscovered high altar thus serves as proof of a previously unknown connection between Rome and Jerusalem, with significant implications for European art history. At over 3.5 meters wide, we have uncovered the largest known medieval altar to date, Berkovich emphasizes. He hopes further research in Papal archives will uncover more details about the altar’s history, possibly even the identity of the Cosmatesque master who created this masterpiece.


SOURCES

Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW)

Ilya Berkovich, Amit Re’em, Broken, Hidden, Rediscovered: the Story of the Cosmatesque High Altar of the Holy Sepulchre, Eretz-Israel, Volume 35, 2024.


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