by Fatima Aruri
BETHLEHEM, West Bank, June 29 (Xinhua) -- The restoration of the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank city of Bethlehem leads to a significant archeological discovery of a baptismal font inside another larger font.
Ziad Bandak, head of a special Palestinian Authority (PA) committee tasked with restoring the famous church, announced that archaeologists had discovered the baptismal font, which is a basin of water used for baptisms.
The font hidden inside another older octagonal shaped baptismal font, likely dates back to sixth or seventh century A.D.
Bandak said that the discovery is an additional proof that consolidates the historical Palestinian narrative linking to their occupied land.
"Historically and religiously, this is a proof of Christian presence in the region and particularly in Palestine," Bandak told Xinhua.
"The font is in excellent condition, because it was concealed within another font in the church. We don't know why it has been hidden, but, indeed, it is a significant discovery in the Nativity Church that holds an important religious consideration," he added.
Bandak noted that the newly discovered font appears to be made of the same sort of stone as the church's columns, meaning that it could be nearly as old as the church itself, which dates back to the fourth century A.D.
"We are now studying the font and analyzing its elements," Bandak said. "The font will stay inside the church and I believe that it will be a new attraction for pilgrims and tourists."
Bandak said that experts from the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Italian restoration teams have begun studying the font to understand its underlying context.
Archeologist Elisa Frosini, member of the Italian conservation team, told Xinhua that "it was a great surprise to find this element inside the octagonal font, because we don't know anything from the historical sources."
The Church of the Nativity has been continuously receiving pilgrims since the 14th century. It has been under renovation since 2013, and the project has already turned up some surprise treasures, including a gorgeous Byzantine angel mosaic uncovered by Italian researchers in 2016.
The church will soon to be removed from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's list for endangered world heritage sites once the restoration is complete, Bandak said, and to be put on the ordinary list of world heritage sites.
Engineer Emad Nassar, PA's technical advisor for the restoration committee, said that the conservation of the church has advanced earnestly after a series of steps were taken.
Nassar added that the church has been equipped with a new lighting system and safety equipment.
The church stands atop a grotto that has been considered the birthplace of Jesus since the second century A.D. It remains open during the renovation, and continues to attract pilgrims and tourists from around the world.
