The Mount of Olives: preservation for a sustainable development
The aim of the project is to conserve, restore and increase the value of the Holy places on the Mount of Olives.
The project is unique in its purpose to restore sites of great importance for Christianity involving the local population, which is made up of both Christians and Muslims. As a matter of fact we would like to solicit young people living in the area and increase their care for their social and cultural heritage creating new opportunities for sustainable development.
Many shrines are situated on the Mount of Olives: the Dominus Flevit, which arises on the spot where Jesus cried over the destiny of Jerusalem and the Garden of Gethsemane right next to the Gethsemane Basilica, also known as the Church of All Nations.These sites are really important for the Christian faith and thousands of pilgrims visit them every day, but they are situated in critical areas from a social and cultural point of view. People here live in conditions of great need and aren’t aware of the importance of this cultural heritage.
Our purpose is to sensitize both the local and the international community on the great cultural value of these places.
Activities we support
- Training for youths from Jerusalem through practical courses for mosaic renovation, with trainers from the Mosaic Centre Jericho.
- Try to increase the awareness of the importance of these places by opening the various archaeological sites to visitors and to students coming from schools in Jerusalem.
- A center for social and cultural tourism promotion, through the creation of new structures involving local communities cooperating with the small guest houses in the area.
Our purpose is to sensitize both the local and the international community to the great cultural value of these places.
This project is made possible by the fruitful collaboration between the Association pro Terra Sancta and the Mosaic Centre Jericho, but also thanks to the contribution of the PSMP programme by the General Consulate of Italy in Jerusalem and the Municipalities of Bronzolo and Rovereto.
