he tomb where Jesus is believed to have been
buried is being unveiled again following nine months of restoration work that will be highlighted at a much anticipated ceremony Wednesday.
The shrine , which includes a 19th- century ornate edicule or shrine surrounding the tomb , is a key part of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem ’ s Old City.
However centuries of candle smoke and visiting pilgrims had left it discoloured and almost black.
Parts of it were also coming loose , with warnings that it was structurally unsound and posed a risk to the millions of pilgrims who visit the site every year .
Israeli authorities briefly closed it in 2015 over security fears.
Following a $3. 7- million ( 3. 4-million-euro ) renovation led by the church ’ s three main Christian denominations , the tomb has been painstakingly restored to its former glory — including a warm reddish-yellow colouring.
The tomb will be formally reopened on Wednesday in a ceremony in Jerusalem led by religious leaders and donors .
“ Before this the monument was black, ” chief renovator Antonia Moropoulou told AFP at the site .
“ This is the actual colour of the monument, the colour of hope . ”
Unlike other parts of the church , which were renovated between the 1960s and 1990s , the edicule had been neglected.
Moropoulou explained that they had systematically dismantled, cleaned and renovated almost all of the edicule, including the columns and upper and inner domes .
A window has been installed to allow pilgrims to see the bare stone of the ancient burial cave for the first time .
The new structural integrity means a protective cage installed 70 years ago by the British is no longer necessary .
“ The deformations of the holy edicule are addressed and the structural integrity is assured, ” Moropoulou said .
Samuel Aghoyan , the superior of the Armenian Church at the Sepulchre which co -financed the project , said that after the renovation the edicule looked “ like a brand new building” .
– Dramatic moment –
In October , perhaps the most dramatic moment in the renovation occurred when the cave thought to be the tomb of Jesus was opened for the first time in centuries .
Marble slabs were removed to allow for the chamber ’ s reinforcement.
They found a top slab dating from the era of the Crusades , indicating that the tomb had not been opened for 700 years , Moropoulou said .
Underneath they found another from the era of Constantine the Great , the emperor who began the Roman empire ’ s transition to Christianity in the fourth century AD.
“ When we opened the slabs we discovered within the internal masonry all the layers of history — from Constantinian to Byzantine , to Crusaders to Renaissance , ” Moropoulou said .
Whether the site is indeed the place of Jesus ’ s burial has long been a matter of dispute.
Some Christians believe he was buried in the Garden Tomb , outside the walls of Jerusalem ’ s Old City , but Moropoulou said their findings supported the Sepulchre as the location.
Asked if the slabs supported the argument that Jesus was buried there , she said it was “ not a matter of an argument” .
“ It is a matter of revealing a tomb which is alive and which is influencing us working here and all the world . ”

The work is not the end of plans to renovate the church .
Aghoyan said they have “ tentative ” plans to fix the basement of the edicule as well as the “ entire floor of the church ” .
Such work would require around $6 million, according to estimates .
The Greek Orthodox , Armenian and Roman Catholic denominations share custody of the church , but disputes between the three have led to renovations being delayed for decades.
Aghoyan admitted there were tensions between the churches at times.
“ We are not in love with each but we love each other, ” he said with a smile.

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