The tomb of Jesus of Nazareth has been claimed to be in many places. There are a number of beliefs, historical events, and archeological discoveries; each belief highlights a different location for the resting place of Jesus. As a result, there is a list of multiple potential tombs of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. A majority of Christians claim that Jesus died and was buried in Jerusalem; therefore, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher has been considered the burial tomb of Jesus since the 4th Century. Most Christians believe that Jesus Christ was buried and rose from death in this place. However, it is not the only place; there is a list of potential tombs of Jesus. In fact, in Jerusalem, there are two said to be resting places of Jesus of Nazareth. Based on historical events, beliefs, and archaeological shreds of evidence, the multiple tombs of Jesus include, The Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem, the Talpiot Tomb South of Jerusalem, Roza Bal in Kashmir, and Kirisuto no haka in Japan. However, there is an addition to the list of Jesus’s possible resting places located under the Convent of the Sisters of Nazareth in Nazareth; this resting place of Jesus is known as Jesus’s tomb in Nazareth.
The discovery under the Sisters of Nazareth convent began when the sisters of Nazareth established this place and began construction for their school of the blind and the deaf. They found various remains of Jewish dwellings from the first Century. Later, archeologists discovered burial caves and several remains from this site, and the remains included containers, pottery shards, stone walls, entrances, and other artifacts. With all these discoveries and remains, archeologists and the sisters of Nazareth found that this site was the burial site of the holy family.
The Convent of the Sisters of Nazareth is about 613 feet northwest of the Church of Annunciation, in the heart of old Nazareth. According to a pilgrim of the 17th Century, this church was from the Byzantine era, which they built over the house of Mary and Joseph. The Crusaders rebuilt this church, that was later destroyed by fire in the 13th Century.
The group of nuns arrived at this site from France in the 19th Century, and these nuns were known as the Sisters of Nazareth. They purchased this place in order to build a school for deaf and blind children, and during the construction, they uncovered a number of remains under the convent; these findings were from the 1st and 2nd centuries CE. The Sisters of Nazareth were the first to discover archeological remains from this site. Later, a few more secrets were uncovered from the Crusade period, and they also found ancient tombs from the early Roman period. The archeologists also discovered structure of the early Roman period, which proved that Jewish people of the 1st Century had used this site.
While constructing the school, the Sisters of Nazareth discovered under the convent a tomb that was designed for seven people that was made up of two chambers. The first chamber was designed for six people, and the second chamber was for a single individual. Additionally, two more graves were dug into the mountain stone in a nearby area about 30 feet away.
No one understands the significance of the tomb discovered under the Convent of the Sisters of Nazareth. The Sisters of Nazareth and archeologists could not understand that this site was the actual burial place of Jesus of Nazareth. A Jew named Moshe Ben Joseph arrived at this site in April 1991, and he discussed the importance of this place. He is the man who discovered that this site may be the resting place of Jesus. He explained to the mother superior, Kathy, the significance of this site and further explained that this site is the burial site of the holy family, including Joseph, Jesus of Nazareth, and his four brothers. Moshe Ben Joseph came from outside Boston, Massachusetts, with information that he received from an unknown source that pointed out the exact location of Jesus’s tomb in Nazareth.
