On 6 December 2011 at 15.30 in Saha Square, in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, a ceremony will take place to present the works carried out by the Custody of the Holy Land as part of the project “Jerusalem, Stones of memory” promoted by ATS pro Terra Sancta, in partnership with […]

This year in the run up to Christmas, ATS pro Terra Sancta and friends will be supporting the youth and elderly population in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ.  The Franciscan Social Service Office (FSSO), official office of the Custody of the Holy Land, will be directing their efforts towards the most destitute families, elderly […]

Seated along the sides of the corridor, the youngsters from the Terra Sancta School in Jericho wait their turn to receive their prize: a medal, a cup or simply a certificate of participation in the chess tournament that has just finished. A number has beaming faces, proud of the prize they have won, or simply […]

The library of the Franciscans of the Custody of the Holy Land is located within St. Saviour’s Monastery, in the heart of the Christian quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. Here, among precious manuscripts and stunningly beautiful collections of ancient volumes, work is advancing to catalogue those works that were printed in the fifteenth […]

The second session of the Course for training Pilgrimage Guides, organized by the Pilgrimage Office of the Custody of the Holy Land, is taking place from 7 to 21 November. Following the completion of a series of classes held in Rome at the Delegation of the Custody of the Holy Land, the group of guides […]

From this premise was born the idea of an exhibition entitled “Bethlehem, cradle of the Messiah”, produced by Edizioni Terra Santa – the publishing house of the Custody of the Holy Land – and envisioned as an educational and pastoral tool for institutions, parishes and schools. An essential condition for feeling close to, for loving […]

The Ephpheta Paul VI Institute in Bethlehem for audio-phonetic rehabilitation was the site of a recent course entitled “Education as an introduction to total reality”. The course was developed as part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs project “Supporting emergency education in the Palestinian Autonomous Territories” promoted by the AVSI Foundation in collaboration with ATS […]

Three years after the untimely death of Father Michele Piccirillo, friends and collaborators gathered together to remember him on 2 November at the presentation of the book  “In Memoriam: Fr Michele Piccirillo, ofm (1944-2008). Celebrating his Life and Work” held at the American Center of Oriental Research (ACOR) in Amman, Jordan, in collaboration with the […]

It is the lowest point in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, located beneath the Chapel of St. Helena, and it is the place where according to tradition Empress Helena discovered the Cross of Christ, together with nails and the titulus, the tablet setting forth in three languages the reason for the condemnation. The walls […]

The first year of the three-year project “Supporting emergency education in the Palestinian Autonomous Territories” has now been completed. The project is financed by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is being carried out in collaboration with the AVSI Foundation. The courses supported by ATS pro Terra Sancta and AVSI in this initial year […]

The new site jerusalemstonesofmemory.org, dedicated to the project “Jerusalem, Stones of memory” supported by ATS pro Terra Sancta, is now available online. The site grew out of the idea to give greater visibility to this important project of the Custody of the Holy Land that is aimed at safeguarding the presence of the Christian community […]

A beautiful inaugural conference for the photographic and video exhibition “Sebastiya, the fruits of history and the memory of John the Baptist”. Present at the event were Andrea Barducci, President of the Province of Florence, Sabri Ateyeh, Ambassador of the Palestinian National Authority in Italy, Monsignor Luciano Giovannetti, President of the John Paul II Foundation, […]

The precarious economic and political situation in the Palestinian Autonomous Territories means that residents face numerous difficulties, ranging from unemployment to the lack of a welfare system that takes care of people in need. ATS pro Terra Sancta, through its support of the Franciscan Social Service Office (FSSO) of the Custody of the Holy Land […]

From an experience which occurred almost by accident, to a thesis having as its principal subject the living stones of Jerusalem. This  is the story of Giovanni Zennaro, a volunteer with the Custody of the Holy Land, and a new graduate in photography from the Libera Accademia di Belle Arti in Brescia whose  thesis was […]

A trip, brief but intense, with the aim not only of visiting a number of the most beautiful historical and archaeological sites in the world, but also to see first hand a method for preserving and enhancing historical and artistic heritage. This describes the study trip to Italy undertaken this past September by a small […]

“We are seeking to create bridges of peace through culture as a reminder that cultural memory and heritage belong to everyone regardless of their religion”.  With these words, on the occasion of the Fourth Day of the Associations of the Holy Land on 22 October, the architect and ATS pro Terra Sancta collaborator Osama Hamdan […]

Starting from the concept of religious freedom, to achieve and maintain peace in the Holy Land by means of interreligious dialogue: this theme, at the center of the fourth annual day for the associations of the Holy Land in Rome held on 22 October, was discussed by numerous representatives from the ecclesiastical world and from […]

This past week the elderly women living in the rest home managed by the Società Antoniana of Bethlehem received a big present. Through its collaboration with the Women’s Antonian Branch, ATS pro Terra Sancta was able to make possible an excursion to a community center at Beit Sahour, a village near Bethlehem. The 15 elderly women […]

The memory of Father Michele Piccirillo, a passionate archaeologist who made archaeology into an instrument for encounters between people of different religions and cultures, remains alive, and not only in the Holy Land. On Monday 7 November at 19.00, on the third anniversary of his death, RAE Cinema will present a preview of the documentary […]

An exhibition to help make better known in Italy the Palestinian site of Sebastia and to recount the goals of the archaeological and development project carried out there by ATS pro Terra Sancta. The exhibition “Sebastia, the fruits of history and the memory of John the Baptist”, produced by ATS pro Terra Sancta, will be […]