Church of the Holy Sepulchre restoration begins

The major restoration of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre had finally began.

According to The Telegraph, scaffolding welding steel supports were put up by workers on Sunday, commencing the effort to restore the place where Jesus is believed to have been buried before his resurrection.

This is seen as a historic moment, marking the rather rare cooperation between the Greek Orthodox priests, the Franciscans, and the Armenians. The three main denominations of the Holy Sepulchre have had a tense history, their fighting of which have sometimes resulted to physical altercations.

The shrine, built in the 19th century over the cave which is believed to have been Jesus' tomb, stands under the church's dome, supported by a metal frame. The structure, according to The New York Times, is 206 years old while the support is 69 years old. 

The marble slabs have shown signs of weakening over the years, in part due to the huge number of visitors. During the restoration process, the shrine will be dismantled and rebuilt. The parts that are deemed fragile will be replaced, but the slabs that can still be preserved will be cleaned. The dome's support will likewise be reinforced.

The project, funded by the three main denominations as well as from private and public donations, was initiated upon the urging to the Israeli government after which the Orthodox decided to negotiate with the two other groups. An agreement was reached in March, and the three pledged to shoulder one-third of the $3.4 million renovation cost. A Greek bank also contributed $57,000 for the scaffolding.

At the moment, visitors are still allowed to enter and a steel canopy had reportedly been erected over the entrance to protect them from any possible falling debris. The eight-month long project is expected to be finished by early 2017.