Come to their fourth month in the Holy Land, the Italian boys involved in the Civil Service year thanks to an arrangement between ATS pro Terra Sancta and the University of Bari tell their stories, the activities they carried on and their impression on life in Jerusalem. Following is the story of Davide, involved in […]

Also known as Lake Tiberias, this large lake in the north of the Holy Land saw the beginning of Jesus’ public life. Around the lake, or scattered among the neighboring hills, are found Capernaum, Tiberias, Tabgha, Cana, Mount Tabor and the Mount of Beatitudes… all places where Jesus spent a large part of his life, […]

The Grotto of Conon is located alongside that of the Annunciation, inside the Church of the Annunciation. Here, following an earlier cleaning project that took place in 2010, a new project to study and restore a 4th-5th century fresco is now under way. The work is being carried out by two restorers from Rome, Tiziana […]

ATS pro Terra Sancta has been supporting the Christian presence on the troubled island of Cyprus for a few years. The painful and problematic divide between Greek-Cypriot Christians and Turkish-Cypriot Muslims, in addition to creating suffering among the local people, has a devastating effect on the immense cultural Christian heritage in the occupied Northern area. […]

Summer comes but solidarity doesn’t go on holiday. Many are the initiatives, small and big ones, to show togetherness to the living stones of the Holy Land. Here are some messages that we received in this last period: “Dear friends, we are four twenty years old youngsters from Udine and this year we decided to save some […]

On 6 June of this year the Department of Humanities of the University of Rome “Tor Vergata” organized the last – the first of the summer break – of the Ph.D. Research meetings on Classical Antiquities and their Riches: Archaeology, Philology, History. As part of the Study Day entitled “Israel in Ancient Times: New Research on […]

There were in fact 43 volunteers who, between the end of April and the middle of July, answered the call to come help out in moving St. Saviour’s Library from its old site to the new one. Divided into five sub-missions, each lasting two weeks, this resulted in a continuous presence of volunteers over a […]

“A book that presents the facts and tells the story of the Christian presence in the Holy Land, today the land of Israel and Palestine. A topical subject that will help us to dream of a better, more beautiful tomorrow, where finally we can call this land the Land of God. Jews, Muslims, Christians: and […]

After 16 months the unrest in Syria continues and the crisis is worsening at an alarming rate. In this emergency, according to Syrian Red Crescent, around one million and a half people have been affected, with thousands killed or injured. The violence has spread across the country, reaching areas that had, as yet, remained untouched. […]

Several days ago saw the beginning of the second phase of the project “Housing and social emergency in the Old City of Jerusalem East”, financed by the Office of Italian Development Cooperation in Jerusalem as part of the “Emergency initiative in support of the vulnerable Palestinian population”. The project, carried out by the Technical Office […]

Having reached their third month in the Holy Land, the Italian youths carrying out a year of Civil Service through an agreement between ATS pro Terra Sancta and the University of Bari recount their experiences, the activities they have been carrying out, and their impressions of life in Jerusalem. Here is the account of Giuseppe, […]

By September 2012, the Magnificat Institute of Music in Jerusalem will increase its capacity by 500 square metres of new facilities, thanks to funding from the Le Marche Region (Italy), the municipality of Maiolati Spontini, the Premio Vallesina association and the Custody of the Holy Land. Accordingly, a conference was held on Tuesday 19th June […]

The new site of the library at St. Saviour’s – the Franciscan monastery in the Old City of Jerusalem − is now beginning to take shape. It is far more spacious than its predecessor, even though it actually has less floor space: while the space dedicated to storing books will in fact only be 70% […]

Having reached their third month in the Holy Land, the young Italian men and women committed to a year of Civil Service thanks to an accord between ATS pro Terra Sancta and the University of Bari recount their experiences, the activities completed and their impressions of life in Jerusalem. This is the account of 25 […]

On Friday 6 July in the Church of Gethsemane, in the Garden of Olives, an encounter took place between the Italian Consul General in Jerusalem, Giampaolo Cantini, the Custos of the Holy Land, Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa and economist  of the Custody, Father Ibrahim Faltas. The theme of the day was the visit to the site where […]

Friday 29 June was the last day of the Bethlehem Catholic Action summer camp, promoted within the framework of the project “Supporting emergency education in the Palestinian Autonomous Territories of Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Jericho”, supported by the Italian Foreign Minister and ATS Pro Terra Sancta in collaboration with the AVSI Foundation. 200 children between the ages […]

Every morning Raed and Rasmi, expert mosaic workers from the Mosaic Center of Jericho, come from Sabastiya to Jerusalem, to the Basilica of Gethsemane, where the restoring work of the mosaics is under way. They come here to make their skills available and to teach the art of restoring to the five boys of Jerusalem […]

On the occasion of the Festival of Saint Anthony, Friday 22 June was dedicated, for the first time, to the elderly ladies in the nursing home run by Bethlehem’s Antonian Charitable Society. The event, which involved 55 elderly and their family and friends, was organised by the Antonian Charitable Society in collaboration with the Franciscan Social Services […]

The humanitarian crisis continues in Syria; violence is raging and many people have had to flee their towns and cities. An interview with Monsignor Mario Zenari, papal nuncio in Damascus, provides an overview of the situation, and the role and consequences of the conflict for Christians in Syria on Terrasanta.net. However, aid work carried out […]

The atmosphere is festive in Sabastiya: small Italian and Palestinian flags are waving on the town square and already in the early hours of the morning the historic center is in a state of ferment. From small children to elderly women, from workers to the youths managing the guesthouse, everyone is eagerly awaiting the important […]