The Terra Sancta Museum is a museum run by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Custody of the Holy Land The Custody of the Holy Land (Latin: ''Custodia Terræ Sanctæ'') is a Custos (Franciscans), custodian priory of the Order of Friars Minor in Jerusalem, founded as the ''Province of the Holy Land'' in 1217 by Saint Francis of Assisi, who had also ...

, in the Old City of

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. First opened in 1902, then reopened in March 2016, the museum exhibits ancient artifacts, items and structures (fishing hooks, slingshot, spearheads, cisterns, seeds, hairpins, mirror, make-up spatula sets, tableware, work tools, ancient coins, coin casting molds, playing dice ceramic fragments, ossuaries stone slabs, and burial tombs) that existed at the time of

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

Location

The Terra Sancta Museum is located in Old City, divided between two Catholic convents: part of the collections are in the compound housing the

Church of the Flagellation The Church of the Flagellation is a Roman Catholic church and Christian pilgrimage site located in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblic ...

, in the

Via Dolorosa The ''Via Dolorosa'' (Latin, 'Sorrowful Way', often translated 'Way of Suffering'; ar, طريق الآلام; Hebrew: ויה דולורוזה) is a processional route in the Old City of Jerusalem. It represents the path that Jesus would have t ...

, where Jesus was according to tradition flogged by Roman soldiers, after he was sentenced to death by

Pontius Pilate Pontius Pilate (; grc-gre, Πόντιος Πιλᾶτος, ) was the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official who presided over the trial of J ...

; and another part is at the

Monastery of Saint Saviour , order = Franciscan Order , established = 1560 , disestablished = , mother = , dedication = Jesus as Saviour , diocese = Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jerusalem , church ...

, also in the

Old City of Jerusalem The Old City of Jerusalem ( he, הָעִיר הָעַתִּיקָה, translit=ha-ir ha-atiqah; ar, البلدة القديمة, translit=al-Balda al-Qadimah; ) is a walled area in East Jerusalem. The Old City is traditionally divided into ...

Background

The museum is a result of archaeological discoveries and excavations made throughout Israel, Lebanon, Cyprus, Palestinian territories, Egypt and Jordan over the 20th century by the

Franciscan Order , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

. These excavations produced tens of thousands of artefacts which were stored in the

Studium Biblicum Franciscanum Studium Biblicum Franciscanum (English: Franciscan Biblical Studies) is a Franciscan academic society based in Jerusalem. It is a center of biblical and archaeological research and studies. Organization Founded in 1924, the Studium Biblicum Fr ...

for years before being moved to the museum.

References

{{coord, 31.78054, 35.23398, format=dms, type:landmark_region:IL, display=title Museums in Jerusalem Museums in the State of Palestine