Restoring the Holy Sepulcher

The three main Christian communities that maintain the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem - Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic and Roman Catholic - are finally having the so-called Edicule repaired, a shrine from the 19th century that surrounds the Tomb of Christ. This is where Jesus is said to have been buried before his resurrection.

The three communities have a power-sharing agreement under the terms of Jerusalem's Status Quo solution, and and they will also share the cost of the renovation. Work began in early June and is expected to run into next year - a historic move after years of tensions, differences and dueling among the denominations.

The site remains open to pilgrims, like the visitors above lined up along a wall in the rotunda, awaiting entrance into the Tomb of Jesus Christ. The Holy Sepulcher was first built in the fourth century A.D. and the current shrine was erected in the early 19th century.

In 2015, Israeli police closed down the Holy Sepulcher after the Antiquities Authority declared unsafe the building last renovated nearly 200 years ago.

Work on the Edicule, shored up by iron scaffolding and supports for decades, is painstaking. A team of experts from the National Technical University in Athens is managing the renovation, with the goal of reinforcing the Edicule's structure by dismantling, repairing and cleaning the marble slabs that cover it, and consolidating the walls that date back to the time of the Crusades.

About 70 people are working on the multi-million euro project in Jerusalem - day and night. The marble slabs are covered with centuries-old layers of candle wax and have weakened over time, in part due to the daily visits from thousands of pilgrims and tourists.

A steel canopy built over the entrance to the tomb structure is designed to protect visitors from falling debris. Above, a Christian Orthodox clergy swings a thurible with burning incense as he sanctifies the area at the entrance to the tomb.

Restoring the Edicule is "of primary importance," Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem says. In addition to the three churches' financial commitment, King Abdullah of Jordan has committed funds. The New York-based World Monuments Fund (WMF) is also pitching in with a $1.3 million donation by Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun.