On February 17, the Custos of the Holy Land, Fr. Francesco Ielpo, visited the Grotto of the Nativity together with the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III, to verify the progress of the restoration works underway in the place that Christian tradition venerates as the site of the birth of Jesus.
The works, entrusted to the Italian company Piacenti S.p.A., officially began in 2024 thanks to a decree issued by the Presidency of the Palestinian National Authority, which committed to supporting the project. The construction site, launched after the Christmas holidays, will continue until the end of the year, with the aim of being completed before next Christmas. The main objective of the intervention is the cleaning and conservation of the premises, without invasive restoration work, but with targeted action aimed at protecting and preserving ceilings and walls.
Particular attention will also be devoted to the Altar of the Star, to the silver star that indicates the traditional point of the Nativity and to the manger, central elements of the devotion of pilgrims from all over the world.
Today’s visit offered the Heads of the Churches the opportunity to closely examine the progress of the works and to share the aims and perspectives of the intervention in what represents the spiritual heart of the Basilica of the Nativity.
During the removal of some marble slabs and the cleaning operations, there was no lack of surprises: tesserae of an ancient mosaic emerged, now the object of further investigations and studies.
The meaning of the initiative, the Custos of the Holy Land emphasized, goes beyond the technical aspect. "It is first and foremost a concrete sign of collaboration among the different Christian communities that safeguard the Holy Places, Greek Orthodox, Franciscans and Armenian Apostolics, committed together to restoring to its original splendor a heritage that belongs to all Christianity."
After the previous restorations that concerned the roof, the walls, the mosaics and the pavements of the Basilica, carried out by the company Piacenti S.p.A. starting in 2013 and lasting almost ten years, attention now focuses on the Grotto, venerated since the beginnings of Christianity and the very reason for the existence of the sanctuary.
For centuries the Grotto has not been the object of significant structural interventions. Today, however, the custody of the Holy Places also passes through the protection of their beauty and dignity. Restoring light and decorum to a space marked by time, darkened by candles and by the intense flow of pilgrims, means enhancing a place of worship that welcomes millions of faithful of different Christian confessions.
As has already happened in other important interventions, including the one at the Holy Sepulchre, the commitment of the communities is to guarantee the continuity of celebrations and the access of pilgrims, avoiding the closure of the site despite the difficulties linked to the presence of the construction site in such a delicate space.
The restoration of the Grotto of the Nativity is thus configured not only as a work of artistic and architectural recovery, but also as a sign of unity and co responsibility in the custody of the places that are at the center of the Christian faith.
Francesco Guaraldi
