IN PHOTOS: Christian worshipers flock to Jerusalem for Palm Sunday

Apr. 9, 2017

Christians in the Holy Land are celebrating Palm Sunday, the start of the Holy Week that leads up to Easter.

Crowds of faithful gathered at Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. Many waved palm fronds to symbolize how worshippers greeted Jesus over 2,000 years ago as he triumphantly entered Jerusalem.

Christians hold candles and palm fonds during the Palm Sunday mass inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, April 9, 2017.Credit: Ariel Schalit/AP

Christians hold palm fonds during the Palm Sunday mass inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, April 9, 2017.Credit: Ariel Schalit/AP

Christians hold palm fonds during the Palm Sunday mass inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem. April 9, 2017.Credit: Ariel Schalit/AP

Clergy and worshippers took part in the procession next to the newly restored tomb of Jesus. A Greek team has just completed a historic renovation of the Edicule, the shrine that tradition says houses the cave where Jesus was entombed and resurrected.

A 12th-century building sitting on 4th-century remains, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the only place where six Christian denominations practice their faith at the same site.

Ethiopian Christians pray at Deir El Sultan outside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem. April 9, 2017.Credit: Ariel Schalit/AP

An Ethiopian Christian woman prays at Deir El Sultan outside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, April 9, 2017.Credit: Ariel Schalit/AP

Christian priests hold palm fonds during the Palm Sunday mass inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem, April 9, 2017.Credit: Ariel Schalit/AP