Wall Carvings in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

During our visit to Jerusalem's Old City with our houseguest last week we visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Originally built by the mother of Emperor Constantine in 330 A.D., the Church commemorates the hill of crucifixion and the tomb of Christ's burial.
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It is also a marvelous place to photograph, with something different around every corner as each of Christianity's major streams jockeys for position. The primary custodians are the Eastern Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, and Roman Catholic Churches, with the Greek Orthodox Church having the lion's share. In the 19th century, the Coptic Orthodox, the Ethiopian Orthodox and the Syriac Orthodox acquired lesser responsibilities, which include shrines and other structures within and around the building. Times and places of worship for each community are strictly regulated in common areas and altercations have been known to occur when one group is perceived as having overstepped its bounds (see the section entitled "Status Quo").
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I've got some wonderful images from inside the Church which I will be sharing in the days to come, but since those are better viewed as full-color images I've chosen this bit of "graffiti" to share with you as my Monochrome Monday offering. These crosses were carved into a wall in a stairway between different sections of the building. There was no explanation, so I have no idea how long they've been there or who took the time to carve them, or for that matter whether there might have been a particular message they were meant to convey in that out of the way corner.
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I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who helped make today's inaugural edition of Summer Stock Sunday such a terrific success. I had a great time visiting everyone and seeing what summer means to you, and look forward to seeing what you come up with next. The current linkie will be up all week, so if you want to join us come by and link your post anytime - the more the merrier.

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