The place of Golgotha and the tomb of Jesus, originally outside the city walls of Jerusalem, became the Church of the Holy Sepulchre through a series of historical events tied to early Christian devotion and imperial intervention. 1. Golgotha and the Tomb in the 1st Century During Jesus’ crucifixion, Golgotha (“the place of the skull”) was outside Jerusalem’s city walls, as Roman executions took place in public areas near roads. Jesus was buried nearby in a rock-cut tomb, which belonged to Josep