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LETTER OF MR LEONIDAS KOLLAS REGARDING THE RESTORATION OF THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE OF JERUSALEM DURING THE YEARS 1961-1965

The website of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem publishes the letter sent to it by the honourable Architect Mr Leonidas Kollas from Corfu, which refers to the Restoration of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre during the years 1961-1965, sponsored by the pious source of Greece.

In April 1961, during the Patriarchal Office of the memorable Patriarch Benedictus, Mr Kollas, serving in the Management of the Directorate of Restorations of the General Directorate of Antiquities and Restoration of the Ministry of the Presidency of Greece, was sent to Jerusalem as a representative of the General Directorate of Antiquities and Restorations of the Ministry of the Presidency, by the General Director of the Ministry of Antiquities at the time, Mr Ioanniss Papadimitriou, in order to undertake service in the Joint Technical Clerk established in 1958, by a joint decision of the three Major Pilgrim Communities, Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Franciscan, for the purpose of the Restoration of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Mr Kolla’s letter covers a gap in the space on the website of the Patriarchate, which is unable, due to workload and lack of personnel, to refer to the signed historical Status Quo Agreement and conservation and renovation work carried out very successfully with fixing, conservation and renovation work in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the period 1695-1961, during the Patriarchal Office of the late Patriarch Benedictus. These were the forerunner of the completed historical work of the renovation of the Sacred Edicule and the now completed maintenance works of the floor of the Rotunda and Seven Arches area, at the blessed initiative of the current Primate, His Beatitude the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III.

Warmly thanking Mr Kollas, we wish him the grace of the Holy Sepulchre to continue his scientific Pilgrimage research through his personal archive of the period 1961-1965, as he served on the project.

We quote this letter in detail, in this link: https://jerusalem-patriarchate.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/1%CE%B7-%CE%95%CE%A0%CE%99%CE%A3%CE%A4%CE%9F%CE%9B%CE%97-%CF%80%CF%81%CE%BF%CF%82-%CE%93%CE%AD%CF%81%CE%BF%CE%BD%CF%84%CE%B1-%CE%91%CF%81%CF%87%CE%B9%CE%B3%CF%81%CE%B1%CE%BC%CE%BC%CE%B1%CF%84%CE%AD%CE%B1-%CE%B5%CF%80%CE%B9%CF%83%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%BB%CE%AE-%CE%A0%CE%B1%CF%84%CF%81%CE%B9%CE%AC%CF%81%CF%87%CE%B7.pdf:

From Secretariat-General