The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced that it will start, in cooperation with the responsible authorities, and with the formal approval of the Dominican parish, a project to restore the Clock Church in the Iraqi city of Mosul.
The project, which is funded by the UAE, will include all phases of revival and restoration (preparing the area, a preliminary survey of detailed prepared design, and carrying out the practical implementation of the project), which will provide, through participation in this work, job opportunities for professionals and craftsmen in the field of local heritage.
The United Arab Emirates and "UNESCO" signed an agreement last October concerning the UAE's participation in efforts to rebuild historical monuments in the city of Mosul, by restoring the clock and pure churches.
For her part, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, Noura Al-Kaabi, said in a tweet on her account with “Twitter” that “the Church of the Hour is not only a place of worship .. but a cultural heritage that testifies to the history of Mosul .. Soon we begin a new phase in the reconstruction of the Clock Church in Mosul, after official approval from the Dominican parish.
UNESCO promotes the values of tolerance and social cohesion through the reconstruction and restoration of sites of a historical nature as part of its global initiative "Reviving the Spirit of Mosul".
The rehabilitation of the church, which was destroyed by terrorism on April 25, 2016, comes not only because of its status as a cultural heritage, but also because it is evidence of the diversity in the city that has been the crossroads of cultures and living in peace for many different religious societies over the centuries.
The Clock Church is located in the heart of the old city of Mosul, at the crossroads of two main streets of historic urban fabric. The church was built in the late 19th century, and it is considered one of the most famous churches of Mosul and one of the distinctive features of the city, also known as the Dominican Church. Its construction began in 1866 and was inaugurated on August 4, 1873, and its famous tower was not completed until 1882, and it contains a watch presented as a gift by the wife of the French Emperor Napoleon III.
The Church of the Hour was also the center of many spiritual activities, cultural and educational heritage, and it has an active role in unifying brotherly relations between the two conductors.