The pre-restoration Edicule shrine at Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre is pictured in 2008. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – After several months of meticulous restoration work, the shrine that surrounds what is purported to be the tomb of Jesus Christ has been unveiled at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

The unveiling ceremony came after the completion of a $3.7 million renovation project initiated by the church’s three main Christian denominations.

Prior to being restored, the shrine — known as the Edicule — had become tarnished after centuries of religious ceremonies and visits by Christian pilgrims to the site.

The unveiling of the renovated shrine featured religious leaders singing hymns in front of the tomb, which Christians believe to be the site of Jesus’s crucifixion and burial.

In his address at the unveiling ceremony, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III stated that the restoration work was “not only a gift to our Holy Land, but to the whole world.”

Samuel Aghoyan, the superior of the Armenian Church at the Sepulchre, told AFP that following its restoration, the shrine looked “like a brand new building.”

Foreign dignitaries, including Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, also attended the unveiling ceremony.