Several heads of churches in Jerusalem launched yesterday a project to restore the floor of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher located in the Old City of Jerusalem.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarch, Theophilos III, the Custos of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Patton, the Armenian Patriarchal Vicar, Bishop Sivan Garbian, the Apostolic Nuncio, the Vatican’s representative to the State of Palestine, Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yilana, and a group of bishops, priests and clergy from various churches, and a number of representatives of diplomatic missions in Jerusalem took part in the restoration launch event.
The first stone from the church’s floor was removed, marking the start of the project, which is scheduled to be completed within 26 months.
The project comes as a continuation of the restoration work that was completed in the Holy Edicule, or the holy tomb of Christ, four years ago, and with the agreement of the three churches responsible for the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, namely: the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, the Franciscan Fraternity, and the Armenian Patriarchate, in cooperation with Sapienza University in Rome, responsible for the study on the project.
The project includes restoration or replacement of damaged floor tiles in the northern part of the rotunda and excavations in an underground area under the seven arches and in front of the holy tomb.
Source: Palestine News & Information Agency