Jesus's tomb opened for first time in centuries
Greek
preservation experts place back the marble slab stone that covered the
Tomb of Jesus, where his body is believed to have been laid, after it
was removed for 3 days to allow the team to do restoration works (AFP
Photo/Gali Tibbon)
Jerusalem
(AFP) - Preservation experts have opened for the first time in at least
two centuries what Christians believe is Jesus's tomb inside the Church
of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
Some
of the historic work was witnessed by AFP photographer Gali Tibbon who
captured images of the site believed to contain the rock upon which
Jesus was laid in around 33 AD as it was uncovered as part of ongoing
restoration at the site.
A
marble slab covering the site, among the holiest in Christianity, was
pulled back for three days as part of both restoration work and
archaeological analysis, experts on the scene told AFP.
It
was the first time the marble had been removed since at least 1810,
when the last restoration work took place following a fire, and possibly
earlier, said Father Samuel Aghoyan, the church's Armenian superior.
A painting of Jesus can be seen in the narrow area above where the marble slab was removed.
Debris and material was found beneath the marble and was being further studied, Aghoyan said.
"It is moving in a sense, something we've been talking about so many centuries," Aghoyan told AFP.
National Geographic has been documenting the restoration work which is being carried out by a team of Greek specialists.
It
reported that "the exposure of the burial bed is giving researchers an
unprecedented opportunity to study the original surface of what is
considered the most sacred site in Christianity".
- Major restoration project -
"My
knees are shaking a little bit," Fred Hiebert, an
archaeologist-in-residence at the National Geographic Society, said in a
video on the magazine's website during the work at the shrine.
A
shrine was built in the 19th century over the site of the cave where
Jesus is believed to have been buried before his resurrection, and it is
visited by throngs of tourists and pilgrims each day.
Earlier
this year, a major restoration project began on the site, surrounded by
a structure called an edicule and located at the centre of the church
in Jerusalem's Old City, underneath its dome.
The
project required the agreement of the various Christian denominations
that share the church, which also contains the area where Jesus is
believed to have been crucified and his body anointed.
The
restoration project is expected to be completed around March 2017, in
time for Easter, and the site has remained open to visitors for nearly
the entire time, although the ornate edicule has been surrounded by
scaffolding.
Its marble slabs have weakened over the years, caused in part by the thousands of people who visit daily.
The
shrine is being painstakingly dismantled and rebuilt, the Custody of
the Holy Land, which oversees Roman Catholic properties in the area, has
said previously.
Broken
or fragile parts are to be replaced while marble slabs that can be
preserved will be cleaned, and the structure supporting them will be
reinforced.
The
work is being funded by the three main Christian denominations of the
Holy Sepulchre -- Greek Orthodox, Franciscans and Armenians -- and by
public and private contributions.
