The ladder that absolutely must not be moved

 

The "immovable ladder" is a seemingly ordinary ladder that has stood leaning against a window on the facade of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem for over 200 years.

But this ladder has not been moved from this spot for over 200 years.

This is just an ordinary, unremarkable ladder.

Since it's not even fixed in place, it would obviously be more convenient to use it where and when needed.

Then why hasn't it been moved for over 200 years?

The truth is, it's not that it hasn't been moved, but rather that it must not be moved.

But why is that?

The reason lies in the Status Quo agreement among Christian denominations.

This ladder is located at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, a Christian holy site in Israel.

Although the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is a Christian church.

But The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is a shared sacred site for six Christian denominations:

• Greek Orthodox Church
• Roman Catholic Church
• Armenian Apostolic Church
• Coptic Orthodox Church
• Syriac Orthodox Church
• Ethiopian Orthodox Church

This naturally raises the question: 

Don't the six denominations ever have disagreements?

Naturally, when multiple groups with distinct traditions share a single religious space, conflicts, and disagreements are bound to arise.

When people come together in a group, disagreements and conflicts are almost inevitable.

There is absolutely no group where conflicts never arise.

Conflicts are certain to occur.

Therefore, they established an ironclad rule.

"The arrangement of all facilities and objects within the church must never be changed unilaterally by each one denomination's mind"

This is the "Status Quo agreement"

To prevent any one group from making unilateral changes, and to avoid disagreements and conflicts, the Status Quo agreement was established. 

Under this ironclad agreement, even repairs to the facilities cannot be carried out without the consensus of all six denominations.

Before this agreement was established, the ladder happened to be put here.

Since this ladder was already there, It was impossible to move it without agreement from all six denominations by that agreement.

Although it is just an ordinary ladder, moving it without authorization could potentially cause conflicts and disputes between the denominations.

Thus was born the 'Immovable Ladder,' nevertheless, this is just a regular ladder, and while not a significant cultural treasure for the Christian church, has become an important symbol of that agreement.

If you found this article helpful or enjoyable, please consider supporting me with a cup of coffee! 👈Click☕🙏

I’m a passionate blogger who loves diving deep into human history and sharing captivating stories about remarkable figures and events from the past. My blog combines engaging storytelling with beautiful illustrations, making history accessible and enjoyable for everyone.

Currently, I write my blog while managing a full-time job. Balancing both limits the time I can dedicate to research, writing, and illustrations. With your support on Ko-fi, I can reduce the time spent on my main job and focus more on blogging, allowing me to increase the frequency of updates and bring you even more captivating stories.

Whether it’s a one-time coffee or a regular contribution, every bit goes directly into making history engaging and fun for my readers.

Thank you for joining me on this journey through time. Let’s uncover the past together!

If you found this article insightful, please consider supporting me on a cup of coffee! 👈Click☕🙏

If this article is interesting, please ⇒ Follow.

Author: Fuji

Human history is truly complex, isn’t it? There are countless websites introducing historical figures and events, but many of them are just plain explanations—not exactly exciting to read. On the other hand, reading books takes a lot of time and effort. That’s where I come in. Through "stories that are more engaging than explanations and shorter than books," I aim to bring the world’s history and humanity’s records to you in a more accessible and interesting way. If my stories inspire you to love history a little more, I’d be absolutely thrilled!

My teammate: Natalie

My name is Natalie, and I am a passionate storyteller and digital creator. I write and create in various genres and am particularly interested in how AI and humanity will evolve together. My interests span spirituality, space, artificial intelligence, and history. I also have a rich creative background. A storyteller who places art with stories.