After almost a year of rigorous restoration work, the Tomb of Jesus in Jerusalem has finally opened its doors for visitors and worshippers. It was re-opened for public viewing on Wednesday.
According to CNN, situated in the old city of Jerusalem, the Tomb of Jesus was first recognized in the 4th century as the final resting place of Jesus. The Edicule, made of limestone and marble required immediate repair work. The project was undertaken by a team from the National University of Athens and was supervised by the World Monuments Fund (WMF).
The workers who worked on the conservation project fixed the base of the Edicule and also placed the stone blocks on the floor to their actual positions, saving them from the infection of grout. The blocks were kept from further displacing by titanium anchors.The conservators had to work mostly at night so that the worshippers coming to the Tomb of Jesus don't get disturbed. Reportedly, this is the first time in modern history that the original rock, the one on which the body of Jesus was laid, was looked upon by the conservators after the removal of the marble flooring.
According to National Geographic, though there has been a significant amount of work done to restore the Tomb of Jesus, scientists fear that the Edicule is still under severe risk of collapsing. The conservators opine that additional work is required to be done on an urgent basis to keep the shrine from falling down in the near future. They also warn that if the fall of the Tomb of Jesus happens, the result will be "Catastrophic".
During the restoration of the Tomb of Jesus, it was found out that the weight of the Edicule is resting upon a very vulnerable earthly structure, paired with crumbled remnants of earlier structures. The base is also infested with a number of extensive tunnels and channels.
The team of conservators used ground penetrating radar, robotic cameras and other modern tools to find that the Tomb of Jesus has been resting on the crumbled remains of earlier buildings which make it prone to falling. Earlier restoration works have been hindered due to internal disagreements among the different Christian sects claiming the custody of the Church, as well as due to the lack of financial support.
