The following press release was issued by the European Commission Mission in Ethiopia on 15/02/2007.

European Commission takes part in ground breaking ceremony to mark the commencement of works for the construction of shelters for World Heritage site churches in Lalibela

On 13 February 2007, H.E. Ambassador Tim Clarke, Head of Delegation of the European Commission (EC) in Ethiopia attended a Ground Breaking Ceremony, with His Holiness Abune Paulos, Patriarch of Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The ceremony marks the commencement of works to construct four shelters for five churches in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lalibela.

During the ceremony, Ambassador Tim Clarke said:

“Today I feel particularly moved emotionally and spiritually in the presence of His Holiness the Patriarch, in being present at this special inauguration of a project which, we hope will help conserve this unique site for pilgrims for centuries to come.”

His Holiness Abune Paulos on his part said that:

“We greatly appreciate the European Union in playing its role in conserving this magnificent historical and religious treasure of Ethiopia which is unique and one of the oldest in the world.”

The EC had provided endorsement of a works contract valued at € 6.3 million concluded between the Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage (ARCCH) and the Joint Venture of Endeco SPA & ICOM Engineering SPA in November 2006. The EC will provide € 5.5 million for the works from the European Development Fund.

The shelters have been designed by Teprin Associati of Italy, winners of an International Architect Competition; “The skies of Lalibela”, held in 2002. Judges for the competition were appointed by ARCCH, UNESCO, Ethiopian Association of Architects and the EC.

The process was throughout supported by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Supervision of the works will be carried out by Teprin Associati, as the representative of ARCCH. Teprin will be assisted by the local firm MH Engineering.

The works are scheduled to be complete in March 2008. The churches to be covered are: Biet Medhane-Alem, Biet Maryam, Biet Masqal, Biet Amanuel and Biet Abba-Libanos.

The new shelters will replace existing structures, which have been in place for nearly ten years. The purpose of the shelters is to protect the churches before and during the restoration works. The shelters have been designed as temporary installations capable of being removed after completion of the restoration works and of being reused for other purposes.

The funding of the works contract is an indication of the EC’s strong commitment to the preservation and conservation of the unique cultural heritage of Ethiopia.

ENDS

For further information, please contact Mr. Jannik VAA on +251(0)116-612-511 or by e-mail: jannik.vaa@ec.europa.int.