Holy Sepulchre – Cave of the Cross
Jerusalem, Old City

The Cave of the Cross inside the Holy Sepulchre is a hypogean chapel carved into the rock, a place of worship as the place where the True Cross has been found.

This chapel is carved into the natural rock and is characterized by an irregular shape, and the ceiling has different steps, with highest point at 7.90m.

The opening of some cracks on the rock ceiling required a detailed survey, which highlighted the presence of some macro-portions of rock at risk of detachment from the main stone element that is the ceiling of the cave; this detached elements have also been investigated by georadar analysis.
The project planned the consolidation of the ceiling by insertion of stainless steel connectors, grouted with lime mortar, in order to fix the detached parts of rock and connect them to the main element.

Connectors have been inserted by coring without any percussion by specialized Contractor which have also performed the restoration of the stone and the concealing of the insertion points.

Appointment: 2018
Completion: 2019
Client: Custody of Holy Land
Task: Final Design and Works Supervision