Holy Sepulcher: Restoration Work Has Resumed

The meeting on December 21, 2023 in Jerusalem took place under the media radar due to the October 7 deadly conflict between the State of Israel and the Islamist organization Hamas.

That day, at the St. Saviour Monastery, the leaders of the Christian denominations who guard the Holy Sepulcher agreed to open a new chapter in the restoration project of Christ's tomb.

An update on the archaeological excavations carried out by the Department of Antiquities of the Sapienza University of Rome was presented to the participants, and on this occasion, Professor Francesca Romana Stasolla, responsible for the archaeological research, highlighted the extraordinary progress of the work in an official press release.

“This year has therefore been an extraordinarily fruitful year because, in a way, the different pieces of the puzzle of this excavation, which until then had been very fragmentary, have finally started to come together. Above all, it is the entire history of this extraordinary place that is offered to us from the quarry, from a very ancient era to contemporary times,” explains the archaeologist.

At the start of 2024, new work began at the Holy Sepulcher. Since January 5, the palisades have once again appeared at the entrance to the basilica. This is where the tombs of some of the kings of the Crusader era may still be found, but under the slabs.

Enough to make medieval history enthusiasts dream and to give new life to the tomb of Christ: “this place that we are restoring is a holy and extremely old place. It has old parts. It needs to be renovated and restored to be able to last.”

“We are happy that the three communities understood and realized that it was important to restore this basilica, to preserve it not only as such, but also for the pleasure of the faithful who come to visit it here in Jerusalem,” said the Fr. Samuel Aghoyan, Armenian superior of the Holy Sepulcher.

Work which also delights the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III: “what we, the members of the three communities, are currently accomplishing is therefore truly something fundamental. This is a great blessing for all of us,” explains the local Orthodox representative.

It is the same story from the Custos of the Holy Land: for Brother Francesco Patton, “the work carried out by archaeologists and restorers, as well as by those who follow all questions linked to infrastructure, is remarkable.”

In about a year, the basilica will have its new floor, once the archaeological excavations are completed and all the infrastructure is in place. Pilgrims will thus be able to admire the holy place in all its splendor. That is, if the war between Israel and Hamas does not disrupt matters.