Where Was Jesus Buried? Inside the Secrets of His Tomb

After Jesus Christ was crucified outside of Jerusalem, the Gospel of John states that his body was placed in a “new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid.” But where was this tomb? Where was Jesus buried after his execution and before his resurrection?

Over the centuries, various sites have been proposed as possible burial locations for Jesus Christ. Scholars generally believe that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre contains the tomb of Jesus, although compelling arguments have also been made for other locations, such as the Garden Tomb.

This is the story of where Jesus Christ was buried, from the biblical accounts to the modern controversy over the location.

What the Bible Says About Jesus' Burial

Where was Jesus buried? Clues to Jesus' tomb can be found in the Bible, which describes the events that followed his crucifixion outside the walls of Jerusalem in 30 or 33 CE.

The Bible says that Jesus Christ was crucified near Golgotha , or “place of the skull.” It also mentions that after Jesus' death, one of his wealthy followers named Joseph of Arimathea asked Pontius Pilate for Jesus' body. Pilate allowed Joseph to take it, and Joseph prepared Jesus' body for burial.

Public Domain. The Burial of Christ by Carl Bloch.

“And Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock,” is mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew 27:59-60. “And he rolled a large stone to the entrance of the tomb, and departed.”

John 19:41 confirms that Jesus was buried near Golgotha in a new tomb: “Now in the place where Jesus was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. Since it was the Jews' day and the tomb was near, they laid Jesus there.”

According to the Bible, Jesus was resurrected three days later. This makes the location of Jesus' burial place even more significant for Christians – so where is it?

Location of the Tomb of Jesus Christ

Between 325 and 326 CE, Constantine, the first Christian Roman emperor, sent a delegation to Jerusalem to find the tomb of Jesus Christ.