After 200 years, Jesus’s tomb in Jerusalem being restored

Efforts to repair and conserve Church of Holy Sepulchre finally get under way

By AP 21 May 2016, 1:15 am

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Christian pilgrims wait in line to visit the tomb of Jesus in the Church of Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem Friday, May 20, 2016. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

JERUSALEM — Christian officials have launched historic restoration work at the Tomb of Jesus inside the Church of Holy Sepulchre, site where tradition holds Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected.

The works are the first in almost two centuries that will focus on repairing, reinforcing and conserving the structure.

Pilgrims will be able to continue visiting the site while the work is underway. It’s expected to last up to a year.

Clerics from the three denominations that oversee the church — Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Armenian — shook hands in a show of unity next to scaffolding erected on Friday. Work is set to begin in about a week.

The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, says the ceremony was a message “that we are delivering what we promised.”