The Terra Sancta Museum

Located along the Via Dolorosa in the heart of Jerusalem, the Terra Sancta Museum exhibits archaeological highlights of the Franciscan’s collection.

The Franciscans and the Holy Land

terra sancta museum coin mold The Franciscan order was established in 1209 to adhere the teaching of its founder, Saint Francis of Assisi. In 1217 the first Franciscan monks arrived in the port of Akko. By 1342 the Pope declared the Franciscans as the official custodians of the Holy Places. In the following centuries the Franciscans purchased and developed various Christian sites across the Holy Land. In 1924 the Franciscans formed a school for Biblical studies (Studium Biblicum Franciscanum) and in 1933 they conducted the first archaeological dig, exposing the Byzantine churches on Mount Nebo. Over the years the Franciscans dug at various additional sites and formed a collection of antiquities relating to Christian history. The wish to present their collection was materialized with the foundation of the Terra Sancta Museum.

The Three wings of the Terra Sancta Museum

Set within the Catholic compound of the second station of the Via Dolorosa, the Terra Sancta museum is comprised of three sections:

A 15 minutes audio-visual presentation of the history of Jerusalem projected over archaeological finds.
A new display of the highlights of the Franciscan archaeological collection, most of which was uncovered in digs conducted by the order in Israel and Jordan.
Highlights of the Franciscan Christian artistic collection. Its most special items are gifts of Europe’s royalty to the order.