Extensive restoration work undertaken on the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem – built on what is reputed to be the site of the birth of Jesus Christ, has been credited as the reason behind a decision to remove the church from UNESCO’s list of endangered world heritage sites.
The World Heritage Commission, which made the decision as its meets in Baku, Azerbaijan, this week, said the high quality of work carried out on the church – including the restoration of the building’s roof, exterior facades, mosaics and doors – was behind the move. It also welcomed the shalving of a project to dig a tunnel under Manger Square, which stands outside the church, and the adoption of a management plan for the conservation of the site.
The exterior of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. PICTURE: young shanahan (licensed under CC BY 2.0)
The site of the church, which is located 10 kilometres south of Jerusalem, has been identified as the location of the birthplace of Jesus since the second century. The first church was completed there in 339AD and floor mosaics from that original building were retained in its 6th century successor after it was destroyed in a fire.
The church was added to the World Heritage List in 2012 and was simulatanously placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
It was reported last month that a 1,500-year-old baptismal font has been newly discovered in the church during renovation work. The font is believed to be dated to the Byzantine-era, sometime between 501 and 600 AD.
