The site believed to be the tomb where Jesus' body was laid inside Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre is set to be repaired before it collapses under its own weight,
The Washington Post reports.
The site is one of the holiest in Christendom, and has been rarely seen. Inside the church is a chapel called the Holy Edicule which sits above the rock that covers the cave where Jesus' body is believed to have been laid after the Crucifixion and before the Resurrection three days later.
The work is years overdue, but battles between the various Christian groups who share control over the site have stymied the efforts up till now.
The nine-month project will take place without keeping the faithful from visiting the site, since the work will take place at night. Crews will drill titanium bolts into the foundation to told up the cupola above.
The work will require removing the rock that covers the tomb, allowing the workers to see inside for the first time since 1809 when repairs were made after a fire.
The excitement that people had to see inside the tomb has returned, Patriarch Theophilos III, of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, told the Post.
"There is no doubt that there is some kind of energy," he said. "I don't want to describe it, but some kind of energy that emanates from this place."
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