of the Holy Seplechre. These columns have hundreds of

echings on them as graphitti. It seems that people have

always like to leave their mark. This is graphiti from 1384.

If you can't quite read it you can double click on the picture

to see a larger version.

and two minor groups. Because no one can really

decide who owns it there is a status quo attitude. This

means that whatever it there, will remain as it is now.

This ladder (just above the main door) is a great example.

No one really knows why it is there or when it was put

there but it must remain because of this status quo agreement.

So the ladder is replaced when it rots and gets old, but

there has been a ladder there for at least the last 150 years.

The man in the had is another example of the status quo agreement.

This man opens the door everyday at 5:00 AM. He is not christian

but muslim. This is because when the city washeld by the Turks

(Muslim) about 800 years ago the Christianswere fighting about

who owned the church. So the Muslim ruler of the city took the

keys and gave them to a muslim family to keep. This family was

responsible to open the doors. They could have access when they

wanted it but no one could hold their own keys. So this manis a

decendent of the original man who held the keys more than 800

years ago.