OVERVIEW OF THE TERRA SANCTA MUSEUM PROJECT

 

The TERRA SANCTA MUSEUM is dedicated to the history and understanding of Christianity in the Holy Land, a fascinated land shared by many cultures and religions with which Christianity has always intertwined its path.

For more than 800 years, the Franciscan friars of the Custody of the Holy Land have been actively participating in this extraordinary history. By opening a modern museum center, the Franciscans wish now to further promote and share with the punlic the cultural heritage they gathered and preserved during centuries – centuries dedicated to looking after the Holy Places where Jesus lived.

 

Through permanent exhibitions of archaeological finds - some of which date back to the second millenium BC -,  beautiful artworks and historical objects of high significance, history will be brought to life in high-class museum presentations.

 

In future, TERRA SANCTA MUSEUM will be extended as a network of museum branches throughout the Holy Land – with its core center in Jerusalem, currently under construction and to be inaugurated stepwise within 2015–2017.

 

Housed in two different historic sites in the Old City of Jerusalem, the Monastery of the Flagellation and St. Saviour Monastery, the exhibition complex will cover a total of 2,573 m² and comprise three museums  with specific thematic priorities:

 

• Jesus and the Way of the Cross (??) - multimedia exhibition

        opening: end 2015

       A stand-alone immersive multimedia environment on the Way of the Cross and the Holy Sepulchre in the context of Jerusalem's urban

       development, including original architectural fragments from different periods

       Location: Jerusalem, Monastery of the Flagellation

 

• Archeological Museum

       opening: 2016

       A contextualised presentation of archeological finds dating from the Canaanite period to the Crusades (2nd millenium BC to 11th century AD)

       and discovered at evangelical sites all over the Holy Land

       Location: Jerusalem, Monastery of the Flagellation

 

• Custody's History Museum

       opening: 2017

       A historical tour throughout the Franciscan presence and their missions in the Holy Land, from St. Francis' pilgrimage in the 12th century

       until today, featuring artworks,  significant liturgical and historical objects as well as precious documents

       Location: Jerusalem, St. Saviour Monastery