Restoration of the Holy Sepulchre: Sapienza as a scientific point of reference

The Vice-Chancellor of Sapienza University of Rome, Antonella Polimeni, took part today in Jerusalem, at the Custody of the Holy Land, in a meeting with the leaders of the religious communities to discuss the progress of the archaeological research and restoration project at the Holy Sepulchre complex. Professor Francesca Romana Stasolla, scientific director of the Sapienza archaeological mission, presented the work carried out and the prospects for the research, alongside Professor Pietro Vannicelli and the research team, comprising numerous young scholars who, drawing on their diverse areas of expertise, are involved in fieldwork and the subsequent study, documentation and interpretation.

The highly multidisciplinary nature of the project involves archaeologists, historians, philologists, experts in diagnostic analysis and archaeometry, and numerous other scientific disciplines. During her visit to Jerusalem, the Vice-Chancellor was received in private audience by His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. She also met Brother Francesco Ielpo, Custodian of the Holy Land, Domenico Bellato, Italian Consul-General in Jerusalem, and representatives of the Jerusalem office of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), as part of the long-standing relations forged over the years between Sapienza, the religious communities and the Italian institutions present in the region.

The Sapienza mission has been operating on a permanent basis in Jerusalem for over four years and, within a context of extraordinary historical, religious and institutional complexity, has gradually built up a relationship of trust with the communities that safeguard the Holy Sepulchre and with the various organisations present in the area. This role emerged with particular clarity during today’s meeting: the mission has now become a scientific point of reference, and Sapienza a recognised partner for the understanding, protection and promotion of a heritage of global significance, whilst respecting the different responsibilities and sensitivities that coexist in this place. The mission had already been commissioned in 2019 to carry out the first-ever systematic archaeological survey of the complex; the excavation work subsequently got into full swing as part of the project to restore the Basilica’s flooring.

Now that the archaeological excavation phase has been completed, the research is continuing at a rapid pace through the study of artefacts and structures, the documentation of data, archaeometric analyses and the reconstruction of the various phases in the complex’s long history. The investigations have combined stratigraphic excavation, analysis of structures and materials, archival research, advanced diagnostic techniques and three-dimensional documentation. During the presentation, the progress of the restoration and refurbishment work on the Basilica’s infrastructure and flooring was also outlined, along with the planned activities for the monitoring and maintenance of the various areas of the complex and the commencement of the restoration of the wooden entrance door to the Holy Sepulchre.

Particular attention has been paid to the first volume of the Hagia Polis Project series. *Excavations at the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Volume I. Project and Methodology*, which captures the scientific and methodological complexity of the project, from excavation and conservation procedures to the integrated documentation system, and from the study of sources and artefacts to environmental and archaeometric analyses.