rehabilitation of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Starting in 1961, after undertaking a North American tour to raise funds, the structure was completely rehabilitated, including repair of the foundations and cisterns, and restoration of the interior and exterior walls. Thousand of stones were replaced including removal of old and injection of new mortar. Columns were replaced and new capitals were added. Death and burial On December 10, 1980, as the rotunda dome was finished, further restoration of the church came to a halt with the death of Benedict. He died of a heart attack in Jerusalem's Hadassah Hospital, where he was recovering from a stroke he had suffered 10 days earlier. The burial took place on December 14, 1980 at the Church of the Ascension on the Mount of Olives. A kindly and courteous man, traditionalist in his theology, Patriarch Benedict was critical of the 'ecumenist' policies of Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople, and in his later years was more reserved over questions of Christian unity than any other Orthodox church leader. He was also a very educated man, being fluent in French, English and Arabic, in addition to his native Greek. For his services he was honoured with several high church and secular decorations. Patriarch Benedict I is listed as being a Mason according to the website of the Grand Lodge of Greece, of the lodge «Αδελφοποίησις». Notes References 1892 births 1980 deaths 20th-century Greek Orthodox Patriarchs of Jerusalem People from Karacabey National and Kapodistrian University of Athens alumni Turkish people of Greek descent