The second section of the Terra Sancta Museum dedicated to the archaeological collections of the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum was inaugurated at the Convent of the Flagellation in Jerusalem.
A Byzantine period cistern, an older room connected to the halls of a Crusader house and finally a splendid court with its adjacencies of the Mamluk age. The second section – the archaeological one – of the Terra Sancta Museum, inaugurated on 27 June in the presence of the Custos of the Holy Land Br Francesco Patton, the Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, the General Consuls of Italy and Spain, along with many other authorities.
MAN ENG
Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm
Custos of the Holy Land
Embarking on the museum’s adventure means being coherent with our history as Franciscans of the Holy Land; we have loved and continue to love this land deeply and for this we have taken care of the holy places, of the shrines, for the love of the word of God and the word of God incarnated.
A journey back in time, a museum for the public that will consist of a first part in which findings from the biblical sites will be presented as objects of excavations by the Franciscan friars, and a second one, the one just inaugurated, which exhibits collections of findings sorted by theme.
MAN IT
Br EUGENIO ALLIATA, ofm
Director of the Terra Sancta Museum
This time we focused on the objects of the time of Jesus’ life: shortly before, shortly after, to give an idea of what could be found in the houses of the time, and what things Jesus saw and could inspire him for his parables: the parable of the oil lamps, of the bride, of the small vases, of the minas and of the talents. We want to make people see the concreteness of the examples that Jesus presented in his teachings.
The experience that the museum proposes will help to better understand the history of Christianity and the places from which it originated. An instrument to build a bridge of peace.
MAN IT
Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm
Custos of the Holy Land
Personally, I believe that when people meet they can discover that they have common roots and the possibility of traveling along a stretch of road in the future, together, in mutual respect, in fraternity and in friendship.