A three-dimensional computer-generated reconstruction of the bedrock beneath the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem

Abstract

This research project is focused on the digital reconstruction of the underground structures surrounding the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, based on the extensive work of the Jerusalem architect and researcher Conrad Schick (1822–1901). The starting point is, in particular, the documents PEF/SCHICK/154 and PEF/SCHICK/203 preserved in the archives of the Palestine Exploration Fund, in which Schick recorded his findings on the topography, geology, and development of the area, gathered between 1862 and 1898. By creating a three-dimensional computer model, these historical sources are to be systematically mapped in space for the first time and made available for contemporary research. Over decades, Schick observed archaeological excavations, construction projects, and infrastructural interventions in the vicinity of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, documenting in particular the course of the natural bedrock, ancient water systems, and underground structures. His investigations range from early surveys within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and adjacent monasteries to detailed cross-sections and plans of the entire subsurface of the neighbourhood. The project combines this historical data with 20th-century archaeological findings, particularly from the work of Virgilio Corbo, Shimon Gibson and Joan E. Taylor, to expand, refine, and critically review the model. The goal is not to create a definitive reconstruction, but to develop an open, expandable research tool. In doing so, it reflects both the methodological limitations of historical surveys and the challenges of interpolated terrain models. Despite unavoidable inaccuracies, the virtual model offers the opportunity to visually represent complex spatial relationships beneath the densely built-up Old City of Jerusalem for the first time and to enable new research questions regarding historical topography and the location of ancient Golgotha. The resulting vertex mesh model is deliberately designed as a flexible, expandable foundation and can be supplemented or corrected in the future with new archaeological data. The project therefore sees itself as a contribution to basic digital research and to the sustainable provision of historical and archaeological information for the international research community.