"This achievement highlights the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI in fostering tolerance and promoting interfaith dialogue," Cutrona said during a ceremony marking the completion of the chapel’s restoration on Saturday.
Expressing her satisfaction with the project, she described it as "a celebration of Morocco's rich multicultural heritage."
The restoration initiative was a collaboration between the "Memories for the Future" Foundation, the Ta'aruf Interfaith Center of the Rabita Mohammedia of Ulema, with support from the Belgian "Future 21" Foundation and USAID. The project aims to preserve this historically significant site while continuing its legacy of promoting interreligious dialogue.
Founded in 1952 by French Benedictine monks, the Toumliline Monastery played a key role in fostering cultural and religious exchange in the Azrou region.
The chapel restoration is part of the larger "Reinventing Toumliline" initiative, which seeks to perpetuate the tradition of openness and dialogue, according to the project's partners.
Since 2021, the “Memories for the Future” Foundation has been working to enhance and preserve the site’s historical significance, with support from the USAID-DAKIRA program.