The tomb of Jesus inside Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre will undergo renovations to save it from collapse. If there is a more interesting story this week, I have yet to find it.
Scaffolding has gone up a few feet from the shrine in the gloomy shadows of the Arches of the Virgin, the first step in a rare agreement by Christian communities to save the dilapidated shrine, also called the Aedicule, from falling down.
The idea is to peel away hundreds of years of the shrine’s history, clean it and put it back together. They will take apart, slab by slab, the ornate marble shell built in 1810, during Ottoman rule of Jerusalem. The conservationists will then tackle the remains of the 12th-century Crusader shrine that lies underneath.
Finally, the workers will repair cracks in the remains of the rock-hewed tomb underneath, where most Christians believe Jesus was placed after he was crucified.
It may also be a good idea to reinforce the structure, since those ISIS animals are keen on destroying ancient holy architecture.
Fighting among the various groups of Christians inside the shrine, gives new meaning to the term “cage match”. It amazes me that people can’t get along even while in a holy place. Not very Christian.
LikeLike
Metoo – That they came together for this may be the most amazing part of this story.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolutely
LikeLike