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AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner
World News

Restoration of Jesus' tomb completed

The restoration team completed repairs to the Edicule shrine in time for Easter.

AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner

The renovated Edicule is seen in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

A window has been carved into the marble shrine to allow pilgrims to see inside the burial cave.

The shrine had not been restored for more than 200 years and there were fears that it posed a dangerous safety risk.

AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner

Faithful visit the renovated Edicule in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

"If this intervention hadn't happened now, there is a very great risk that there could have been a collapse," Bonnie Burnham of the World Monuments Fund said.

"This is a complete transformation of the monument."

Restorers also removed an iron cage that had been placed around the shrine by the British in 1947.

AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner

Last year, a donation worth around £900,000 from Mica Ertegun, the widow of Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun, ensured the restoration work could go ahead.

King Abdullah II of Jordan and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also made large contributions to the project.

The shrine, which stands at the centre of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was built in the 12th century.

A ceremony to mark the completion of the project will take place on Wednesday.

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