The Immovable Ladder
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is the place where, according to Christian tradition, Jesus was crucified and buried, and for that reason it is considered to be one of the most significant and important sites for Christianity. Due to its sensitivity, the church has become a source of disputes and debates between the different sects and factions in the Christian church, which have acquired or assumed various rights regarding it over the years. The many frictions led to the signing of a Status Quo agreement in the middle of the 19th century, which established the division of rights between the various Christian factions regarding rituals, actions and responsibilities for different areas within the church. The prayer times for each faction were determined, the order of worship was decided, it was determined who was responsible for cleaning and maintaining various areas in the church, and more.
Until 1831, the gates of the Church of the Sepulcher were locked by order of the Ottoman authorities, and they were only opened on holidays and special occasions. The Armenian monks who lived in the church placed a ladder under the window on the first floor above the main entrance, which they used to get out of the window in order to pull up by rope the food that was given to them. The ladder is included in the status quo agreement, so it cannot be removed for that reason, even though it has not been used in practice for a long time. Pope Paul VI even stated in 1964 that the ladder would remain in place until the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church were reunited, which guarantees that it will not move in the foreseeable future...
In all photographs of the front of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, from the 19th century onwards, the ladder can be found standing in its place, exactly as indicated by the agreement.
(Anecdote authored by: עמיר)
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