The Greek Parliament is expected to consider an agreement in the coming days that would provide €1 million to help preserve Orthodox holy sites, ecclesiastical monuments and historical archives belonging to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

The agreement, already approved by the relevant parliamentary committee, was concluded between Greece’s Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Culture and the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, according to Orthodox Times.

The initiative aims to protect and study the religious and cultural heritage of the Patriarchate, which oversees some of Christianity’s most important holy sites in the Holy Land.

The funding will support the restoration and conservation of icons, frescoes, mosaics and wood carvings, as well as scientific research and the digital documentation of historic monuments. The program will also focus on preserving church relics and other historical materials.

Another key component will be the systematic cataloguing and digitization of manuscripts and early printed books held in the Patriarchate’s Historical Archive and Patriarchal Library in Jerusalem. Greek universities and research institutions are expected to participate in the work.

Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni described the agreement as evidence of the Greek state’s continued support for the Jerusalem Patriarchate. She said the Patriarchate’s heritage was significant not only to Greek and Orthodox traditions, but to the world as a whole.

“Monuments under its care are facing serious challenges due to current geopolitical conditions,” Mendoni said, pointing to conflicts, instability and humanitarian crises affecting the region.

Greece’s cooperation with the Jerusalem Patriarchate also extends beyond the Holy Land. The Greek Culture Ministry is already working on monuments belonging to the Patriarchate located within Greece.

In Athens, specialists have begun work on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre compound in the Plaka district after identifying the need for restoration. Authorities are also considering the restoration of the Byzantine Church of Goumena in Elis, in the Peloponnese, which was damaged by a recent earthquake. Restoration studies are expected to be prepared for the church.

Greek experts also plan to work on the preservation of ecclesiastical objects and other movable heritage belonging to the Jerusalem Patriarchate that are currently housed in Greece.

The new agreement builds on broader cooperation between Athens and the Patriarchate. In June 2026, Mendoni met with Jerusalem Patriarch Theophilos III in Athens, where the two sides agreed to accelerate a program for documenting and digitizing ecclesiastical relics and archival materials.