More on the Holy Fire ceremony

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: How a sacred flame spreads across the world despite the pandemic ( Kristin Romey). The first surviving mention of the Holy Fire ceremony was in 876 CE.

Also, the article reports that the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Holy Sepulchre) was closed in 1349 when there was an epidemic of the Black Death. That was last time public access was denied for an extended period.

Background here and here.

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