Terra Sancta Museum -- Jerusalem, Israel

Destination: Objects cared for by the Franciscans in the Holy Land, including a collection of 13 church bells discovered hidden in Bethlehem and dating back to the Middle Ages, have traveled to some of the great museums of the world.  

But now they will have a permanent home in Jerusalem as the Custody of the Holy Land moves forward toward creating a new “Historical Section” of its popular Terra Sancta Museum, which opened to the public in 2017.

Photos: Top — Franciscans in the Holy Land are advancing the next phase of the Terra Sancta Museum, which will add many more religious art objects and artifacts to the museum's collections (OSV News photos/ Tom Tracy).

Bottom — The museum includes a collection of some 450 earthenware pharmaceutical pots from the 17th and 18th centuries. The first “friar-doctor” sent to the Holy Land by Pope Pius II arrived in 1460. 

Why to go: The museum is situated at the Church of the Flagellation, the first station of the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem. Until now, that area has been limited to archeological artifacts from the first millennium.

The new section will be at the heart of the Franciscan headquarters in St. Saviour’s Monastery. Its rare collections of paintings, sculptures, archival documents, gifts from European courts — even a 13th-century gilded copper crosier of the bishop of Bethlehem — will help pilgrims to deepen their knowledge of the sanctuaries and discover the beauty of the liturgy in the Holy Land.

A multimedia section offers a 15-minute tour in English, Spanish, Italian, Polish and other languages. 

Admission: The museum is open daily; hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m. in the summer (April-Sept.) and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. in the winter (Oct.-March). Prices are given in Israeli New Shekels (NIS). One NIS is roughly $0.28. Regular prices are 15 NIS ($4.20) per person, and reduced prices are listed at https://www.terrasanctamuseum.org/en/visit-us/

Accessibility: Barrier-free access to the Flagellation Monastery is available from the Via Dolorosa street, and the multimedia section is handicap-accessible. However, there are no restrooms available. Animals are not allowed.

(Grand) Kid friendly: The museum calls for a quiet, respectful atmosphere, but holds educational camps for local children — so kids are welcome. If you have a history buff in the making, they may enjoy some activities you bring to fit the exhibits, like a coloring page for drawing the pattern on a piece of pottery, for example.  

Info: Address — Terra Sancta Museum, Via Dolorosa St. 1, Jerusalem, Israel  

Phone — +972 2-627-0467 

Website — https://www.terrasanctamuseum.org/en/

—By Tom Tracy. Tracy writes for OSV News from Florida. He was on location in Jerusalem visiting Christian holy sites.

Send Destination ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org