Church of the Holy Sepulcher
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is one of the most sacred sites in Jerusalem. The quarry here was once an execution grounds outside the city's gates, with a hill plainly visible to everyone traveling to or from the city. It was called Golgotha, from the Hebrew word (golgolet), or (skullo), which is what the hill resembled. In addition, there is a legend that Adam was buried here. Near Golgotha were many stone tombs which had been hewn into the surrounding bedrock. The area was incorporated by the Emperor Hadrian into his new city, Aelia Capitolina, as a Forum and Temple area. Hadrian built this new pagan city over the ruins of Jerusalem, which he had completely destroyed in retaliation for a major Jewish revolt.
Fortunately, Hadrian didn't level the rocks into which the tombs were dug for the construction of his Capitoline Temple. Instead, he limited himself to filling those spaces and leveling them off by placing large quantities of earth around them. By doing so, he created a base for the temple, an enormous terrace that preserved the tombs from destruction
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