The Greek Parliament is expected to ratify next Wednesday a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Culture of the Hellenic Republic and the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, following its approval by the competent parliamentary committee.
The agreement aims to preserve, protect, study and promote the religious and cultural heritage and Holy Shrines of the Jerusalem Patriarchate, providing €1 million in funding for a wide range of conservation and documentation projects.
The planned initiatives include the design and supervision of conservation and restoration work on movable and immovable monuments, including icons, frescoes, wood carvings and mosaics. Funding will also support the digital documentation of monuments, preparation of restoration studies and recording of movable religious treasures.
The agreement further provides for the organization, digitization and conservation of manuscripts and printed material held in the Patriarchate’s Historical Archive and Patriarchal Library, as well as academic and educational activities in cooperation with Greek universities and scientific publications highlighting the history and monuments of the Patriarchate.
Mendoni: A message of unity and consistency
Culture Minister Lina Mendoni described the ratification as “a message of unity and consistency on the part of the Greek state in supporting the Patriarchate of Jerusalem and protecting the nation’s religious and cultural heritage.”
Mendoni emphasized the Patriarchate’s deep historical roots and living tradition, describing it as the guardian of a heritage that is not only Greek Orthodox but also of universal significance.
She noted that the Patriarchate’s presence in the Holy Land is closely linked to safeguarding historical memory and identity, as well as protecting the movable and immovable monuments under its care.
“All these monuments, under the current geopolitical conditions and because of the region in which they are located, are being severely tested by conflict, insecurity and profound social and humanitarian crises,” Mendoni said, stressing Greece’s responsibility to protect the Patriarchate’s cultural heritage “as much as possible.”
Cooperation extends to Patriarchate properties in Greece
The Culture Minister stressed that cooperation with the Jerusalem Patriarchate extends beyond the current memorandum.
She said that during her visit to Jerusalem and subsequent meeting in Athens with Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, discussions were held on protecting and restoring monuments belonging to the Patriarchate that are located in Greece.
Work has already begun concerning the Metochion of the Holy Sepulchre in Plaka, Athens, where problems requiring restoration have been identified.
Mendoni also referred to the Byzantine Church of Goumeno in Ilia, which sustained damage in a relatively recent earthquake. Cooperation is underway to advance the necessary restoration studies.
Greek Culture Ministry services are also working on the protection and conservation of movable monuments belonging to the Jerusalem Patriarchate and currently kept in Greece, Mendoni added.
