Rabat — As part of the “Reinventing Toumliline” USAID-supported initiative, restoration work on the chapel of the Toumliline monastery, located in the highlands of Azrou in the Fez-Meknes region, has been successfully completed.
In a joint statement, the “Memoires for the Future Foundation” as well as the inter-conventional group linked to the Rabita Mohammedia of Ulemas, and USAID announced the news on Saturday, noting that the completion of this work marks the first phase of restoring the historical site.
The organizers said that the restoration work aims to preserve the historical site and its memory with the goal of reviving meetings of debate and interfaith dialogues for a broader audience.
The statement highlighted Rabita Mohammedia of Ulemas’ contribution to the restoration work, noting that partners carried out “urgent rescue work” on the monastery chapel, the only Christian prayer building in Morocco (at the time it was built).
Dating back to 1952, when it was founded by French Benedictine monks from the Toulouse region, the hub has provided local children with education and social services.
The statement added that from 1956 to 1967, the hub became a place for intercultural exchanges and interfaith dialogue, “encouraged and supported by the late King Mohammed V and held under his patronage.”
Since then, the royal family has preserved this heritage, and such initiatives were pioneering gatherings of intellectuals and thinkers from Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
Detailing work done by all parties in charge of the restoration work, the statement emphasized that the Memories for the Future Foundation also carried out initiatives to boost the site’s value and history as part of the USAID Dakira program.
These included site cleaning as well as the restoration of the monks’ old cemetery.
