"Send in us, Lord, the power of your Holy Cross to protect us always"

The mother Church of Jerusalem looked upon this site with great respect and love. It was here that it gathered to celebrate the Mystery of Salvation. It was here that it gathered to reflect on the great love of God for humanity. Witness to this love and respect towards this site are abundant in the diaries and writings of the pilgrims who visited the site during this time. Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem, in one of his homilies in front of the tomb, affirms that the antechamber of the tomb had been removed to give way to the new structures by the Byzantine architects. He also affirms that the large stone which closed the tomb was still preserved near the tomb itself. The anonymous pilgrim of Piacenza describes, in 570 AD, the lavish gems, gold and silver items attached to the tomb stone. He also affirms that the whole exterior of the tomb was "covered with silver" and that an altar stood in front of the tomb.

Jerusalem as represented in the Madaba Mosaic Map (note the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at the centre of the vignette)

A Christian mosaicist of the VI century, in the town of Madaba(Jordan), reproduced the city of Jerusalem of his time which he placed at the centre of his floor Map comprising the territories from Lebanon to Egypt. The city of Jerusalem dominates this mosaic, known as the Madaba Map (discovered in 1896/7) and the Constantine building of the Holy Sepulchre is the central building of the walled city.