THE TOMB OF CHRIST

This is a Roman Catholic plan for the most sacred shrine in Christendom--the place where the crucified body of Christ is said to have been laid. According to tradition, the Holy Sepulchre was discovered in about 300 A.D. by Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine. Destroyed and rebuilt several times since then, the present church is a cramped, badly maintained building that has disappointed many a pious tourist. Crowded into its dingy interior, the shrines, chapels and stalls of six branches of Christianity (Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic and Abyssinian) constantly interfere with each other's services and worshipers. Under Msgr. Gustav Testa, Apostolic Delegate in the Holy Land, the Roman Catholics have been working since 1939 on these plans for a basilica with beauty and elbow room for all.

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