Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
(26 Aug 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jerusalem -18 August 2026
1. Christian clergy shut the door of Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is then locked from the outside by a representative of the Muslim families holding the keys to the basilica every night in a ceremony dating back centuries
2. Close of locked door
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jerusalem -19 August 2026
3. Franciscan friar rings the bell to start the service inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
4. Greek Orthodox priest incenses inside of the church
5. Armenian priest incenses inside the church
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jerusalem -18 August 2026
6. Various of pilgrim praying by the stone of the unction, where Jesus body is believed to have been prepared for burial
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Giovanna Dell’Orto, The Associated Press:
“It's almost 10 p.m. in Jerusalem and for about an hour, I've been locked in one of the holiest sites in the whole of Christianity -- the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It is right here, right behind me, where Christians believe that Jesus was crucified, buried and was risen. And every single night, around 9 p.m., a Muslim man from one local family here in the Old City of Jerusalem comes and locks the gigantic doors to this sprawling, 12th-century basilica, locking in any pilgrims who, like me, might have signed up to spend the night in a prayer vigil, as well as priests and religious who represent some of the major denominations that share -- in a unique arrangement since the middle of the 19th century - this church.”
8. Chapel of Calvary where Jesus is believed to have been crucified
9. Pilgrim who was praying at Chapel of Calvary
10. Various of Chapel of Calvary
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Giovanna Dell’Orto, The Associated Press:
“Tonight, there's a group of Armenians, there's a pilgrim from Brazil, and of course there are the Franciscan friars and the different other denominations whose priests and religious live above this sacred space. They will start their celebrations around midnight. And they will reopen to the public -- when the pilgrims who have been here overnight can also leave -- around 6 a.m. For some who've been here just one night, it is an extraordinary experience of faith. But so it is for some of the priests, who told me that no matter how many decades you've been here, to be on the very site of the central miracle of your faith is an experience that continues to fortify, and launches every day with a new joy and a new hope.”
12. Various of candles
13. Pilgrims in front of the Holy Edicule, built over the spot where tradition says Jesus' tomb was
14. Various of outside of Edicule
15. Pilgrims outside Edicule
16. Pilgrims
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jerusalem - 19 August 2026
17. Greek Orthodox priest passing the ladder back outside so the doors can be unlocked and reopened
18. Pilgrims leaving and entering the church after it was reopened from the outside
19. Various exterior shots of church ++NIGHT SHOTS++
STORYLINE:
The gigantic doors were pushed shut, the clanking bolts secured from the outside, and a small group of clergy, pilgrims and a journalist from The Associated Press— me — were locked in for the night inside one of Christianity’s holiest sites.
Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built over the very spots where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and rose from the dead.
Back in the 13th century, Muslim families were entrusted with the basilica's keys.
It's a multi-story, meandering construction decorated in the different styles of the denominations that use it.
AP Video by Giovanna Dell’Orto
Find out more about AP Archive: aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: instagram.com/APNews
You can license this story through AP Archive: aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/03f9ff393a4045868d6122863068f13e
(26 Aug 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jerusalem -18 August 2026
1. Christian clergy shut the door of Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is then locked from the outside by a representative of the Muslim families holding the keys to the basilica every night in a ceremony dating back centuries
2. Close of locked door
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jerusalem -19 August 2026
3. Franciscan friar rings the bell to start the service inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
4. Greek Orthodox priest incenses inside of the church
5. Armenian priest incenses inside the church
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jerusalem -18 August 2026
6. Various of pilgrim praying by the stone of the unction, where Jesus body is believed to have been prepared for burial
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Giovanna Dell’Orto, The Associated Press:
“It's almost 10 p.m. in Jerusalem and for about an hour, I've been locked in one of the holiest sites in the whole of Christianity -- the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It is right here, right behind me, where Christians believe that Jesus was crucified, buried and was risen. And every single night, around 9 p.m., a Muslim man from one local family here in the Old City of Jerusalem comes and locks the gigantic doors to this sprawling, 12th-century basilica, locking in any pilgrims who, like me, might have signed up to spend the night in a prayer vigil, as well as priests and religious who represent some of the major denominations that share -- in a unique arrangement since the middle of the 19th century - this church.”
8. Chapel of Calvary where Jesus is believed to have been crucified
9. Pilgrim who was praying at Chapel of Calvary
10. Various of Chapel of Calvary
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Giovanna Dell’Orto, The Associated Press:
“Tonight, there's a group of Armenians, there's a pilgrim from Brazil, and of course there are the Franciscan friars and the different other denominations whose priests and religious live above this sacred space. They will start their celebrations around midnight. And they will reopen to the public -- when the pilgrims who have been here overnight can also leave -- around 6 a.m. For some who've been here just one night, it is an extraordinary experience of faith. But so it is for some of the priests, who told me that no matter how many decades you've been here, to be on the very site of the central miracle of your faith is an experience that continues to fortify, and launches every day with a new joy and a new hope.”
12. Various of candles
13. Pilgrims in front of the Holy Edicule, built over the spot where tradition says Jesus' tomb was
14. Various of outside of Edicule
15. Pilgrims outside Edicule
16. Pilgrims
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jerusalem - 19 August 2026
17. Greek Orthodox priest passing the ladder back outside so the doors can be unlocked and reopened
18. Pilgrims leaving and entering the church after it was reopened from the outside
19. Various exterior shots of church ++NIGHT SHOTS++
STORYLINE:
The gigantic doors were pushed shut, the clanking bolts secured from the outside, and a small group of clergy, pilgrims and a journalist from The Associated Press— me — were locked in for the night inside one of Christianity’s holiest sites.
Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built over the very spots where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and rose from the dead.
Back in the 13th century, Muslim families were entrusted with the basilica's keys.
It's a multi-story, meandering construction decorated in the different styles of the denominations that use it.
AP Video by Giovanna Dell’Orto
Find out more about AP Archive: aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: instagram.com/APNews
You can license this story through AP Archive: aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/03f9ff393a4045868d6122863068f13e
