Τήν πρωΐαν τῆς Δευτέρας, 1ης / 14ης Μαρτίου 2022, ἐγένοντο τά ἐγκαίνια, ἤτοι ἔλαβε χώραν ἡ ἔναρξις τοῦ ἔργου συντηρήσεως τοῦ δαπέδου τοῦ Ναοῦ τῆς Ἀναστάσεως.
Τοῦτο λαμβάνει χώραν ἐν συνεχείᾳ τῆς πρό τετραετίας ἀνακαινίσεως τοῦ Ἱεροῦ Κουβουκλίου καί κατόπιν συμφωνίας τῶν Τριῶν Μειζόνων Κοινοτήτων, ἤτοι τοῦ Ἑλληνορθοδόξου Πατριαρχείου Ἱεροσολύμων, τῆς Κουστωδίας τῆς Ἁγίας Γῆς τῶν Φραγκισκανῶν καί τοῦ Πατριαρχείου τῶν Ἀρμενίων εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα, τῶν ἐχουσῶν τήν εὐθύνην τοῦ Προσκυνηματικοῦ Καθεστῶτος καί συμφώνως πρός μελέτην, ἐκπονηθεῖσαν ὑπό τοῦ Πανεπιστημίου Sapienza τῆς Ρώμης.
Τό ἔργον θά συμπεριλάβῃ ἐργασίας συντηρήσεως ἤ ἀντικαταστάσεως, εἰς ἥν περίπτωσιν εἶναι ἐφθαρμέναι, τῶν πλακῶν τοῦ βορείου τμήματος τῆς Ροτόντας καί ἀνασκαφάς τοῦ ὑπογείου αὐτῆς χώρου, τοῦ χώρου κάτωθι τοῦ Ἑπτακαμάρου καί πρό τοῦ Ἱεροῦ Κουβουκλίου, θά διαρκέσῃ εἴκοσι ἕξ μῆνας καί θά στηριχθῇ οἰκονομικῶς ὑπό χορηγῶν καί δωρητῶν.
Διά τήν ἔναρξιν τοῦ ἔργου τούτου κατῆλθον ἐπί τόπου οἱ Ἀρχηγοί τῶν Τριῶν Κοινοτήτων, ἤτοι ἡ Α.Θ.Μ. ὁ Πατήρ ἡμῶν καί Πατριάρχης Ἱεροσολύμων κ.κ. Θεόφιλος μετά συνοδείας τοῦ Σεβασμιωτάτου Μητροπολίτου Καπιτωλιάδος κ. Ἡσυχίου, τοῦ Σεβασμιωτάτου Ἀρχιεπισκόπου Κωνσταντίνης κ. Ἀριστάρχου, Γέροντος Ἀρχιγραμματέως, τοῦ Σεβασμιωτάτου Ἀρχιεπισκόπου Ἱεραπόλεως κ. Ἰσιδώρου, Γέροντος Σκευοφύλακος, τοῦ Γέροντος Δραγουμάνου Ἀρχιμανδρίτου π. Ματθαίου, τοῦ Γέροντος Καμαράση Ἀρχιμανδρίτου π. Νεκταρίου, τοῦ Τελετάρχου Ἀρχιμανδρίτου π. Βαρθολομαίου καί ἄλλων Ἁγιοταφιτῶν Πατέρων, παρουσίᾳ τοῦ Γενικοῦ Προξένου τῆς Ελλάδος εἰς τά Ἱεροσόλυμα κ. Εὐαγγέλου Βλιώρα καί τοῦ ἐμπειρογνώμονος ἀρχιτέκτονος τοῦ Πανιέρου Ναοῦ τῆς Ἀναστάσεως κ. Θεοδοσίου Μητροπούλου, οἱ Φραγκισκανοί τῆς Κουστωδίας τῆς Ἁγίας Γῆς, ἤτοι ὁ Κουστωδός π. Φραγκῖσκος Παττόν, ὁ π. Δομπρομίρο, ὁ π. Ἀθανάσιος Μακόρα καί ἄλλοι, καί ἐκ τοῦ Πατριαρχείου τῶν Ἀρμενίων ὁ Σεβασμιώτατος Σεβάν, ὁ ἡγούμενος τῶν Ἀρμενίων π. Σαμουήλ, ὁ π. Γκουριόν καί ἄλλοι.
Ἐπί τῇ ἐνάρξει τοῦ ἔργου, ἡ Α.Θ.Μ. προσεφώνησεν ὡς ἕπεται:
“Come bless the Lord all you servants of the Lord
who stand…in the house of the Lord.
Lift up your hands to the holy place,
and bless the Lord”.
(Psalm 133[134]:1-2).
Your Beatitudes,
Your Eminences,
Your Graces,
Beloved Members of our Respective Brotherhoods,
Ladies and Gentlement,
We are gathered in the holiest of places in this historic moment to continue the work that has been so well begun in the restoration of the Sacred Edicule. On this occasion we remember the words of the Psalms:
“How very good and pleasant it is when brethren live together in unity!”
(Psalm 132 [133]:1).
Five years ago this month, we gathered here to celebrate the completion of the restoration of the Sacred Edicule. That restoration was the fruit not only of the labour of experts, but of our common purpose and unity in placing the restoration of the Sacred Edicule above all other concerns and distractions. As those to whom the Divine Providence has entrusted the diakonia of the Holy Places, we must always deepen our commitment to this common purpose.
The restoration of the Sacred Edicule, the first in two centuries, stands as a true achievement of our Communities acting together, and is a sign of hope for the world.
And now we stand at the beginning of a new phase of this work, to restore the area beneath the floor of the rotunda as well as the pavement, to ensure that the foundations of this holy place are secure for generations to come. We are deeply grateful to all those sponsors whose generosity and expertise are making this project possible, and we fully expect that his work will bring the present renovation of the sacred Edicule and the rotunda to a successful completion.
We are meeting here at a difficult time for humanity. The pandemic is not yet over, there is grave conflict in Ukraine and in the world generally there is a great deal of political, economic and social instability.
But here, in this holiest of places, that is, the Holy Tomb, there is hope. In the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ form the dead, the new and eternal life of God has shone forth like a light in our dark and confused world. As we care for and restore this holy place, we participate in the message of hope that emanates from the Holy Tomb not just for the Christians, but also for people of good will around the world.
As we gather here, we recall the words of Saint John Chrysostom which are recited here very day:
“O Lord, save your people and bless your inheritance;
protect the fullness of your Church;
and sanctify those who love the beauty of your house…
For every good gift and every perfect gift comes from above,
coming down from you, the Father of lights”.
MAY the Almighty God, the Father of lights, whose uncreated Light shines from the Holy Tomb, bless our new work that begins today in His name.
His Beatitude Theophilos III
Patriarch of Jerusalem
