Church of the Holy Sepulchre restoration begins in Jerusalem

A Church of the Holy Sepulchre’s restoration will not prevent tourists and believers from visiting the sacred site. The church, which is the site where Jesus of Nazareth, was crucified and is where his empty tomb lies, will be under restoration for at least one year.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre’s restoration will take over a year, but according to officials, it will not interfere with visitors touring the holy site.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is also known as the Church of the Resurrection or Church of the Anastasis by Orthodox Christians, is located in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is famous for containing two of the holiest sites in Israel.

According to believers, the church is the site where Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, known as “Calvary,” and it is the place where Jesus’ empty tomb can be found. The tomb is empty because after been buried Jesus resurrected four or five days later. More on the content of the church below:

“Today the wider complex accumulated during the centuries around the Church of the Holy Sepulchre also serves as the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, while control of the church itself is shared between several Christian denominations and secular entities in complicated arrangements essentially unchanged for over 160 years, and some for much longer. The main denominations sharing property over parts of the church are the Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox and Roman Catholic, and to a lesser degree the Egyptian Copts, Syriacs and Ethiopians. Meanwhile, Protestants including Anglicans have no permanent presence in the Church and they generally prefer the Garden Tomb, elsewhere in Jerusalem, as either the true place of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, or at least a more evocative site to commemorate those events.”

In a statement issued by officials, it was revealed that the work will begin next week and will last about a year. According to the statement, this is the first time in over two centuries that construction will occur in the church.

Workers will focus on repairing, reinforcing, and conserving the structure. The historic launch of the restoration was done with a special ceremony on Friday.

The event, which was attended by “clerics from the three denominations that oversee the church — Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Armenian” shook hands in a show of unity next to the scaffolding erected on that same day. Greek-Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III said:

“… the ceremony was a message “that we are delivering what we promised.”

The good news is that during the renovation, tourists and pilgrims will be able to continue visiting the site while the work is underway.