Jerusalem and Serbia Patriarchs celebrate Liturgy at Holy Sepulchre Church

Patriarchs Theophilos and Porfirije at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Photo: Press Service of the Jerusalem Church

On April 2, 2025, a joint patriarchal service of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts was held at Golgotha within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The service was led by His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem and His Beatitude Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia, according to the press service of the Jerusalem Patriarchate.

The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, a special service celebrated during Great Lent, was held at one of the holiest places in the Christian world – Golgotha, the site of Christ’s Crucifixion.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the most sacred Christian shrine. Located in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City, it encompasses Golgotha (the site of the Crucifixion), the Stone of Anointing (where, according to tradition, Christ’s body was prepared for burial), and the Edicule – a small chapel built over the tomb and Resurrection site of the Savior.

The church has a history stretching back nearly 1,700 years. The first church on the site was commissioned by Emperor Constantine the Great in 326 AD. Throughout its long history, the church has been destroyed and rebuilt multiple times. Its present appearance was largely shaped by the reconstruction following a fire in 1808.

Today, the rights to administer and serve in various parts of the church are divided among six Christian denominations: the Jerusalem Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Armenian Apostolic, Syriac, Coptic, and Ethiopian churches. The main sections are held jointly by the Orthodox, Catholic, and Armenian communities.

The joint service of the two Primates of Orthodox Churches marks a significant event in the life of the Orthodox world.

Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia is currently on an official visit to the Holy Land, during which he is visiting sanctuaries and meeting with hierarchs of the Jerusalem Patriarchate.

Earlier, the UOJ reported on the meeting between Patriarchs Porfirije and Theophilos in Jerusalem.

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