Some years ago, a co-worker told me the story of the Vacuum Cleaner and the Bow. My co-worker was by nature a neatnik, putting his dirty clothes in the hamper and his mail in the trash as a matter of ...

If you’re feeling lonely on this most Christian of days, just think of all that Jews and Christians have in common. Namely: in-fighting. In the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, located in Jerusalem’s Old ...

It's small, wooden ladder, perched under a church window. Old wood. Dusty, even from a distance. It's the kind of thing a janitor might use to reach the high glass. And for almost 360 years, no one ...

When someone leaned a ladder against the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem centuries ago, they likely didn't imagine it would stay there for good. There's nothing sacred about the Immovable ...

Atlas Obscura on Slate is a new travel blog. Below is an excerpt from the forthcoming Atlas Obscura book. Venerated as the site of the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, the Church of the ...