After centuries, Bethlehem church to get new roof

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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_PALESTINIANS_ANCIENT_CHURCH?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-11-27-07-37-25

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) -- Preparations for a long-needed renovation of the 1,500-year-old Church of the Nativity are moving ahead in Bethlehem, the town of Jesus' birth, in the face of political and religious conflicts that have kept one of Christendom's holiest sites in a state of decay for centuries.

The first and most urgent part of the renovation, initiated by the Palestinian government in the West Bank, is meant to replace the building's roof. Ancient wooden beams pose a danger to visitors, officials say, and leaks have already ruined many of the church's priceless mosaics and paintings.

If the repairs go ahead as planned next year, it will be the first time the crumbling basilica has seen major renovation work in more than a century and a half.

Altering a building like the Church of the Nativity, built 1,500 years ago on the site of a church 200 years older than that, is never a simple affair. The building is shared by three Christian sects - Catholics, Greek Orthodox and Armenians - who have traditionally viewed each other with suspicion and are wary of upsetting the brittle status quo that governs the site.

[Adsos Letter]

1. Lots of valuable cultural artifacts lost to religious rivalry. Sad.

EDIT: Never mind.

[xchrom]

2. +1

[rug]

3. 1,500 years. Amazing. K&R.