Wrapped in scaffolding, the basilica located at the traditional site of Jesus' birth is undergoing a much-needed facelift after 600 years.

Experts say that water is leaking from the rooftop and threatens to cause serious damage to mosaics and other priceless items.

Project manager Afif Tweme said the first stage of the project began in September and is addressing the most pressing issues: the rooftop and windows.

"The water also has a bad effect on the plastering surfaces, on the mosaics, on the floors, on the frescoes. It could damage any, any historical elements inside the church," said Tweme, who works for the "Community Development Group," a Palestinian engineering consulting firm.

The companies carrying out the works are obliged to minimize any disruptions to visitors and make sure that pilgrims can "pass freely inside the church and safely," he added.

The church is one of Christianity's most visited and sacred shrines.

Standing above the grotto where, according to tradition, Jesus was born, the church attracted more than 2 million visitors last year.

But the building, with remnants up to 1,500 years old, has been neglected for decades. Continue reading.

Source: AP/Huffington Post

Image: AP Photo/Nasser Nasser

The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, built over the cave venerated as Christ's birthplace, is the oldest complete church in the Christian world. It was dedicated in 339.

Unesco also granted the site endangered status and funding for repairs — despite strong objections from the United States and Israel.

Bethlehem is in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority exercises limited self-rule. Israel saw the Palestinian move to gain world heritage status for the church as an effort to embarrass Israel on the world stage.

Last year, Unesco granted the Palestinians full membership, a decision seen at the time as a boost to their bid, since largely stalled, to win unilateral statehood recognition from the United Nations.

The Palestinian Authority's request included part of the Pilgrimage Route, the path which tradition says Joseph and Mary took to the city on their journey from Nazareth 2000 years ago.

The Palestinian government plans to register about 20 more sites with Unesco, including the ancient city of Jericho and the archaeological site of Sebastia — a traditional site for the burial of St John the Baptist.

The Church of the Nativity is almost wholly a Greek Orthodox place of worship, while the Armenian Orthodox and Catholics have rights to some areas.

More than two million people visit the church each year.

Commenting on Unesco's decision, the Franciscan Custodian of the Holy Land, Father Pierbattista Pizzabella, OFM, said all three churches hoped that "holy sites will be considered first and foremost as holy places of worship, and that cultural and political issues, whether local or international, are excluded from their management, daily life and dynamics".

Sources:

The Guardian

Custodia Terrae Sanctae

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Image: Seetheholyland