Terra Sancta Museum project

Since 1217, the Order of the Franciscans has been present in the Holy Land. This Order was for centuries the only Latin Christian presence allowed by the Muslim authorities, due to the Franciscan spirituality of poverty and devotion to the most needy.

In 1342, the pope entrusted the Franciscans with the ‘Custodia Terrae Sanctae’: the management of the holy places and the welcoming of pilgrims in Palestine and the Levant. This Franciscan Custodia has now started the Terra Sancta Museum Project.

The museum project aims to better preserve the art collection of the Franciscans, including the precious treasure of the Holy Sepulchre, and make it more accessible to the public. The Franciscan collection was largely created through numerous donations from Christian monarchs, including the kings of the Two Sicilies, from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. The museum project confirms the centuries-long Christian presence in the Holy Land, with a Franciscan commitment to dialogue and peace.

A first need concerns the financing of the catalogue of the Treasury of the Holy Sepulchre, which is due to be published in 2025. The scientific direction is entrusted to Michèle Bimbenet-Privat, former chief curator of the Louvre museum in Paris.

The budget for the catalogue is 50,000 euros, including editions in English and French, among others. The publication will allow a wider audience to discover masterpieces of Eastern and Western Christian art. For that reason, the Constantinian Order, linked to the Cross and to the Holy Sepulchre, has started a fundraiser.
 
The Dutch delegation of the Constantinian Order supports the Terra Sancta Project with a donation of 2,000 euros.