In March 2012 we resumed work on studying and cataloguing the finds at the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum Archaeological Museum. This sparked the idea of starting up a short news bulletin, edited by the volunteers working at the museum, in order to provide periodic updates on our progress and demonstrate the potential of the institution to those […]

This past Christmas the exhibition The spirit of Assisi brings us to Bethlehem was held in the cathedral of Savona. Bishop of Savona Mons. Vittorio Lupi, parish priest Don Gianni Busoni and the president of the Muslim Community of Liguria, Zahoor Zargar, welcomed children from local schools. The exhibition was organised by pupils to tell […]

In the same building housing the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum of Jerusalem and its Archaeological Museum, the “lapidarium” brings together in one place architectural elements, inscriptions and other pieces of great interest, such as the 1st and 2nd century ossuaries from the Jewish-Christian cemetery discovered in mid-November on the slopes of the Mount of Olives. The […]

At these sites, both within St. Saviour’s Monastery in Jerusalem, a large part of the history of the Custody of the Holy Land is preseved. The Custody’s Archives makes available to scholars and researchers countless documents, firmans, papal bulls and maps of the sanctuaries, from the 13th century up to the present time. The new […]

Unfortunately the news arriving from Syria is not at all encouraging, as according to estimates provided by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights 60,000 people have been killed since 15 March 2011. Since July 2012 there have been 5,000 victims per month, more than 160 per day. The humanitarian emergency […]

The “Nativities from around the world” exhibition has opened again this year at the Friars Minor Convent in Cermenate (CO – Italy) as part of the ATS pro Terra Sancta Christmas campaign supporting the charity work of Franciscan friars of the Custody of the Holy Land in Bethlehem. The exhibition includes nativities from all over the […]

The first semester of the training course “Improving parenting skills in handling and proper communication with one’s children” for the mothers of the students at Terra Sancta College has concluded. The course involved 24 mothers, and the principal objective was that of supporting and reinforcing the role of the maternal figure within the context of […]

With their voices they enlivened the Midnight Mass in Bethlehem, in the Church of the Nativity, singing in front of the Custos of the Holy Land, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, numerous religious and political leaders and thousands of faithful who had come from all over the world to experience Christmas in the Place where it […]

The Gethsemane project continues: the restoration of the right aisle mosaics has been completed and soon work will start on the central aisle mosaics. The six young people attending the mosaic restoration training course, taught by two experts in the field from the Jericho Mosaic Centre, say they are very satisfied and are learning a […]

Music, dancing, sweets, bingo…and countless smiles: nothing was lacking at the Christmas party held in the home for the elderly managed by the Società Antoniana in Bethlehem. Older people frequently alone, abandoned and without resources who, thanks to the Gianelline sisters and the support of ATS pro Terra Sancta and numerous friends and donors, are […]

“Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy. For unto you is born this day a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” Luke 2:10-11. On the occasion of Holy Christmas, the Custody of the Holy Land wishes happy holidays, offering to pilgrims and lovers of the Holy Land the possibility to visit, on our new website, the […]

We wish to bring to your attention our appeal for providing emergency assistance to Gaza. The situation in the Gaza Strip becomes every day more complex. It is our desire to support the worthy charitable activities of Christians who are providing assistance to the local population, and in particular helping to protect disabled children, without regard […]

This is the message of Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Custos of the Holy Land and President of ATS pro Terra Sancta, for Christmas 2012: “Console my people, console them,” says your God. “Speak to the heart of Jerusalem and cry to her that her period of service is ended, that her guilt has been atoned for, that, from […]

Until the year 2000 the town of Bethlehem, located in the territory of the Palestinian Authority, was able to enjoy a certain level of well-being due to activities linked to tourism and opportunities for employment in nearby Jerusalem and, more generally, in Israeli territory. However, with the outbreak of the Second Intifada and the continual […]

The Massolini Calendar is produced by the ‘Giovan Battista Massolini’ Cultural Association, in collaboration with ATS pro Terra Sancta and the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum. The 2013 edition is dedicated to Judea. Open publication – Free publishing – More 2013

There are so many pilgrims who, having come to the Holy Land to see firsthand the Places of the Incarnation, return home full of joy and strengthened in their faith. In the section dedicated to pilgrims and pilgrimages, we have published the testimonies and messages that have arrived over the past months. Words full of […]

Since 2005 families of the Catholic Action of Vicenza and families most in need in Bethlehem have been joined through a great gesture of generosity and kindness. The project was set up in the years following the second intifada, with the main aim of providing support to families in accessing medical care through private insurance […]

Cervia, Rimini and Florence: a grand success for the first three stops of the presentation of “Holding onto One’s Roots: Stories and Faces of the Christians in the Holy Land“, the book that seeks to support the living stones and ATS pro Terra Sancta. “I arrived in Italy with the hope that my testimony might […]

In a few days a series of encounters to present the book “Holding onto One’s Roots: Stories and Faces of the Christians in the Holy Land” will begin. From 29 November to 7 December the two young authors – and friends of the Holy Land – Andrea Avveduto and Giovanni Zennaro are participating in a […]

Beautiful watercolours by Sandra Borgogno, an ATS pro Terra Sancta volunteer, and words by Osama Hamdan, Carla Benelli and Wala Ghazi, who also collaborate with ATS pro Terra Sancta, in a book written for the children of Sabastiya, telling the story of their village in an illustrated version. Fun, playful characters, who come out of […]