"I was the first person to enter the tomb of Christ and yes, it smelled everywhere of myrrh"

“That's how I felt. And I was filled with awe, it seemed unreal. I cried when I learned that I came here because the Lord wanted me to. And I was not very faithful either.”

With these shocking words, 49-year-old restorer Petros Haloftis from Megara, the first person in modern history to enter the Tomb of Jesus Christ, speaks about the unique experience he had in Jerusalem when the tomb was opened in the Church of the Resurrection.

The words come out of his mouth with difficulty. Sometimes he breathes heavily, sometimes he sighs, sometimes he weeps and cries. "The human mind cannot grasp the feelings I experienced there," are his first words.

"The Tomb was not supposed to be opened. They only opened it because there would be grouting in the masonry and they were afraid that something might cause damage", he says, beginning his long story. He is very frugal and tries to keep a low profile but his emotions are evident. "Yes, I was the first to go in after the top slab shifted. The Tomb had been opened since 1810, when the sacred canopy was made. Since then it has not been opened again," he explains.

The restored Edicule is seen during a ceremony marking the end of restoration work on the site of Jesus's tomb at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. rnCNS PHOTO/SEBASTIAN SCHEINER

It exuded myrrh

A few weeks ago, news went around the world that when the Tomb was opened, a unique smell was emitted, the likes of which had never been seen before.

"One way or another, it smelled like myrrh from what the monks spread all over the Church of the Resurrection. But that smell was something else. Something unique that I have never smelled before.

But there is another detail that may seem strange to you, but I must mention it: A long time ago, in the place of the Tomb in the masonry behind it, inside the wall and at a height of about 2 meters, I found a wooden wedge of about 20 cm, and as soon as I took it out, it had a very pleasant smell and smelled like that for about three days. It had been there for 200 years. Normally it should smell like rot. And yet it smelled wonderful," he explains in shock, even now that the Tomb's maintenance is complete.