by Underneath one of the arched windows of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in the Old City of Jerusalem, there is an old wooden ladder casually leaning against the wall on the upper ledge. At first glance it appears as if the Church is undergoing renovation and the ladder was put there by a workman for repair works on the wall.
In fact, the ladder appears in every photo taken of the church. And before the age of photography, it featured on sketches, paintings and engravings. Indeed, the ladder has been an integral part of the building complex for at least three centuries, possibly even more.
Nobody knows for sure how the ladder got up there and when. What we know is that it was there in 1728—from an engraving and possibly the oldest depiction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre with the ladder under the window. The first written account mentioning the ladder, however, didn’t come by for another thirty years. Some accounts say that the ladder was put there by a mason who was doing restoration work in the Holy Sepulchre. But why wasn’t the ladder taken down once the work was done?
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In fact, the ladder appears in every photo taken of the church. And before the age of photography, it featured on sketches, paintings and engravings. Indeed, the ladder has been an integral part of the building complex for at least three centuries, possibly even more.
Nobody knows for sure how the ladder got up there and when. What we know is that it was there in 1728—from an engraving and possibly the oldest depiction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre with the ladder under the window. The first written account mentioning the ladder, however, didn’t come by for another thirty years. Some accounts say that the ladder was put there by a mason who was doing restoration work in the Holy Sepulchre. But why wasn’t the ladder taken down once the work was done?
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