Restoration work has begun to stablise the Tomb of Christ inside Jerusalem’s Holy Sepulchre

Jerusalem: Reports says urgent work has begun to stabilize the Tomb of Jesus in Jerusalem, after centuries of neglect has left the chapel built over the 1600 year old tomb reeling on the edge of ruin.

The edifice which was first built above a burial cave as a tourist attraction in the Dark Ages, is buckling under its own weight.

This will be the first work to be carried out on the structure since it was rebuilt after a severe fire in 1810.
The $4.5 million restoration is expected to take between 8 to 12 months.
It took decades of bickering among the many Christian factions that lay claim to the site, but now a team of conservation experts from National Technical University of Athens have finally made a start.

According to a top Armenian official at the church, Rev. Samuel Aghoyan, he told reporters that;

“We equally decided the required renovation was necessary to be done, so we agreed upon it”,

Catholic Franciscan monk Athanasius Macora said any changes to the 200 year old structure has been thwarted by disagreement.

“I personally would have liked to maybe contemplate some alternative to simply restoring the current structure. But because the status quo is so conservative in its nature, we had to more or less accept the fact that there would be no change whatsoever to the current structure, and it would be restored as it is now,” he said.

The holy site will be kept open to tourists while restoration work goes on said the Greek renovators.