Restoration work is finally about to begin on the
Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the oldest church in the Holy Land. The Palestinian Authority entrusted the restoration of the skeleton and windows of the Basilica of the Nativity of Bethlehem to the Italian company Piacenti, after the Custos of the Holy Land, Fra Pierbattista Pizzaballa, added his signature to the contract signed by Palestine’s Prime Minister, Rami Hamdallah, and representatives of the Greek Orthodox and Apostolic Armenian Churches.
The contract was signed in the city which the Gospel pinpoints as Jesus’ birthplace.
The wooden roof is the part of the church that most urgently needs repairing and the pilgrims that have been visiting the basilica over the years can attest to this.
When it rains, water leaks into the basilica and risks causing further damage. Once the roof is repaired, work will begin on the windows. The restoration work is due to begin in the next few weeks but pilgrims will still have access to the basilica.
The contract stipulates that the Basilica is to remain open as a security guarantee.
The contract for the restoration of the basilica which marks Jesus’ birthplace, required the signatures of all three Churches, as is the case with the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. This is because the three Christian denominations that have been historically present in the Holy Land have joint jurisdiction over both sites.
All projects need to be approved by the three religious communities, as well as by the local political authority, in yesterday’s case, Palestinian Prime Minister, Rami Hamdallah.
“While the Middle East is on fire, while in one place and another churches burn and mosques are destroyed, we here are doing the opposite. Muslims and Christians are acting together to preserve a historic patrimony, but also a place of faith for millions of believers throughout the world,” Fr. Pizzaballa said.
50% of the restoration project’s total cost (estimated at US $2,600,000) will be covered by Palestinian private funds and sponsors. The rest will be paid for by countries such as Hungary, France, Russia, the Vatican, and Greece.
Part of the reason for choosing Piacenti Spa to carry out the restoration work, iss the Tuscan company’s expertise in the restoration of wooden structures.
It proves how important the role of Italian technicians is in this project, as Italian consul-general in Jerusalem, Davide La Cecilia, highlighted. And an Italian consortium of research centres – coordinated by the University of Ferarra – was chosen to carry out the preliminary scientific study on which the restoration project is based.
The Church of the Nativity’s current structure dates back to the 6th century, when Emperor Justinian ordered that it be re-built, replacing the original church of Constantine that Great which stood there before it was reduced to ruins in the Samaritan revolt of 529.
The study carried out by the University of Ferrara shows that at least part of the beams that support the basilica’s roof, date back to that period.
UNESCO listed the Church of the Nativity as a World Heritage Site, the first Palestinian site to be given this status.
But as Fra Pizzaballa stressed yesterday, the site “is not just a national monument, but an important site in the daily life of millions of believers around the world.”