Museum Terra Sancta

The Terra Sancta Museum is a project that has been undertaken by the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, the official custodians of the holy places on behalf of the Catholic Church. The vision of the museum is to create a space in the Old City of Jerusalem that documents the spiritual, archaeological, and artistic history of Christianity through the artifacts and works that have been collected by the Franciscan friars over their last eight centuries in the Holy Land. The museum is divided into three sections: a multimedia exhibit, an archaeological exhibit, and an historical exhibit. The project is currently ongoing, but both the multimedia exhibit and parts of the archaeological exhibit have been opened to the public. Both of these sections are located in the Convent of the Flagellation in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City. The first section of the Terra Sancta Museum that was completed was the multimedia exhibition called ‘Via Dolorosa.’ Using engaging digital animation and dynamic narration, the exhibit traces 2000 years of the history of Jerusalem. The narrative spans from the time of Herod, the stories of the Gospels and the passion of Christ, through the reigns of Hadrian, Constantine, the Caliph Omar, the Crusaders, and Suleiman the Magnificent, up until the present day. Lasting about 15 minutes, the production offers an excellent introduction to the history of the city and its changing landscape. It is a captivating experience for visitors of all ages, and the audio is offered in multiple languages. Also within the Convent of the Flagellation is the museum’s archaeological exhibition. This section of the museum displays the discoveries made by the friar archaeologists of the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum, the Pontifical “Antonianum” University in Rome’s Faculty of Bible Sciences and Archaeology in Jerusalem. This exhibition is separated into two wings. The first displays artifacts from sites that have been venerated by the Franciscans and pilgrims throughout history, including coins, ceramics, Byzantine mosaics, Bronze age tombs, and much more. The second wing brings together artifacts from the sites of the life of Jesus. This wing will also include collections from Egypt and Mesapotamia. A digital guide is available for this exhibition on the Terra Sancta Museum app and is free to download. Currently, the guide is available in Italian, English, and French, but more languages are coming soon. The Terra Sancta Museum is open to visitors daily from 9am-5pm. There are separate entrances to each of the exhibitions, but combined tickets are available for a discounted price. Entrance is free to children under 12, school groups, scholars, the religious residing in the Holy Land, tour guides, journalists, and people with disabilities. The third historical section of the museum, documenting the history of the Franciscans in the Holy Land and featuring documents and works of art gifted by royal families of Europe, is still under construction and will be located at the Convent of St. Savior near New Gate.