Armenian Church participates in restoration of Jesus’ tomb in JerusalemJune 7, 2016 - 10:14 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A team of experts has begun restoring the ancient tomb in Jerusalem where Christians believe Jesus was buried, in the first such works for 200 years, BBC News reports. The renovation in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre aims to reinforce and conserve the structure. Rivalry between the three denominations that run the church has delayed work. But clerics from the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Armenian churches have put aside their differences, recognising the need to begin repairs. The work will focus on the Edicule, the ancient chamber housing Jesus's tomb which Christians say stands above the spot where Jesus's body was anointed, wrapped in cloth and buried. The last restoration work to take place there was in 1810 after a fire. The Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Armenian authorities are responsible for running different parts of the church but share responsibility for the shrine. Relations between them can be tense - in 2008, an argument between Greek Orthodox and Armenian monks escalated into a brawl - but they have decided to act jointly after Israel's antiquities authority last year said the church was unsafe and Israeli police briefly closed it. "We equally decided the required renovation was necessary to be done, so we agreed upon it," said Samuel Aghoyan, the top Armenian church official there. The scientific co-ordinator for the repairs, Antonia Moropoulou, said the tomb was stable but warped and needed attention after many years of exposure to water, humidity and candle smoke. The structure also needed to be protected from the risk of earthquake damage, she said. Work is expected to take between eight and 12 months and during that time pilgrims will be able to continue visiting the site, church officials said. Each denomination is contributing funds for the $3.3m (£2.3m) project. In addition, King Abdullah of Jordan has made a personal donation. Jordan controlled Jerusalem's Old City, where the church is located, until the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and continues to play a role in safeguarding Muslim and Christian holy sites there. Photo: AP Top stories Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | Ameriabank's Trade Finance portfolio enriched with four prestigious awards from EBRD and IFC Ameriabank received the awards from international financial institutions in recognition of its trade finance operations. Armenian Economy Minister to make trip to UAE May 20-22 A delegation led by Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan will travel to the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi on May 20-22 Armenia Security Council chief traveling to Qatar Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan will travel on a working visit to Qatar. Pillars installed in Armenian border village of Kirants In the Armenian village of Kirants, three border markers have been installed, and border guards stand next to them. |