On Wednesday 19th January, brother Ibrahim Faltas, the Bursar of the Custody, went to visit some restored houses in the Old City of Jerusalem which are being restored. One family in particular was waiting for the friar and had prepared some refreshments to thank the Bursar, the engineers, the site managers and above all the Custody. They are happy and do not hesitate to show it.
The Custody, which is gradually renovating all its property, had planned the visit to this home. The workmen did not seem surprised. When they were looking for the cause of the damp (old sewage pipes) they discovered that this house had been built on top of another one. Under their feet, there were three rooms full of all sorts of rubbish.
What was even more surprising was that once the rubbish had been cleared away, another type of structure was discovered.
Local workmen know the work of their predecessors very well and are familiar with the techniques developed during the Ottoman Empire. In one of the rooms, they immediately recognized the Mameluke structure which dates back to at least the 16th century, but they were struck by the wall on the right of this room. The engineers contacted the Israeli Antiquities Department, The walls were dated to the Byzantine period, and probably have some Crusade finishes. Do the five points in the form of a cross in the wall – the same as those on the columns in the basilica in Bethlehem – perhaps mean that the room was once a chapel, or even a church?
The fact remains that today the result is splendid. The Custody guaranteed a “standard” restoration, but the family wanted and paid for a floor of smooth stone. Seven months ago, 9 people only had 50 square metres in a house that had become insalubrious. Today they have 120 square metres and the rent has not gone up. The Christian families in the Old City do not pay any rent. This rule could change, so that there is at least a symbolic participation in the efforts by the Custody and the Universal Church the supports it in this aid given to the Christians. This help is given so that a Christian presence remains in the Old City of Jerusalem, offering them better living conditions and helping to curb their emigration.
There are 500 houses in the Old City, sometimes with only one room, that are waiting to be renovated. In 2010, about thirty were restored for a sum of $2 million. In the past three years, 105 homes have already been renovated. There is still a lot of work to be done. The Custody intends to take it on, its finances permitting.
Mab
To know more about the “Jerusalem, Stones of the memory” project, visit: http://www.proterrasancta.org/aider-jerusalem/
The Custody, which is gradually renovating all its property, had planned the visit to this home. The workmen did not seem surprised. When they were looking for the cause of the damp (old sewage pipes) they discovered that this house had been built on top of another one. Under their feet, there were three rooms full of all sorts of rubbish.
What was even more surprising was that once the rubbish had been cleared away, another type of structure was discovered.
Local workmen know the work of their predecessors very well and are familiar with the techniques developed during the Ottoman Empire. In one of the rooms, they immediately recognized the Mameluke structure which dates back to at least the 16th century, but they were struck by the wall on the right of this room. The engineers contacted the Israeli Antiquities Department, The walls were dated to the Byzantine period, and probably have some Crusade finishes. Do the five points in the form of a cross in the wall – the same as those on the columns in the basilica in Bethlehem – perhaps mean that the room was once a chapel, or even a church?
The fact remains that today the result is splendid. The Custody guaranteed a “standard” restoration, but the family wanted and paid for a floor of smooth stone. Seven months ago, 9 people only had 50 square metres in a house that had become insalubrious. Today they have 120 square metres and the rent has not gone up. The Christian families in the Old City do not pay any rent. This rule could change, so that there is at least a symbolic participation in the efforts by the Custody and the Universal Church the supports it in this aid given to the Christians. This help is given so that a Christian presence remains in the Old City of Jerusalem, offering them better living conditions and helping to curb their emigration.
There are 500 houses in the Old City, sometimes with only one room, that are waiting to be renovated. In 2010, about thirty were restored for a sum of $2 million. In the past three years, 105 homes have already been renovated. There is still a lot of work to be done. The Custody intends to take it on, its finances permitting.
Mab
To know more about the “Jerusalem, Stones of the memory” project, visit: http://www.proterrasancta.org/aider-jerusalem/