March 2016 – Terra Sancta Museum: Let the show begin!
Three, two, one… Terra Sancta Museum! On March 17, the first section of a unique museum will open up in Jerusalem (Monastery of the Flagellation). This will be the first exhibition showing the Christian roots and the history of the Holy Places inside the Old City.
The opening section is called Via Dolorosa, a multimedia show about the way that is traditionally identified as Jesus’ Way of the Cross to the Calvary. For centuries, many generations of pilgrims have walked on it, but for the first time, this new installation will offer the opportunity to enhance one’s awareness of the site. The show has a duration of 15 minutes and will retrace the history of Jerusalem back to 2000 years ago.
The museum is located at the Monastery of the Flagellation (the second Station of the Via Dolorosa), the place where Jesus was convicted and handed over to be crucified. The site also has a great archeological value; for this reason the installation is made up of three different stages which integrate multimedia effects with archeological remains surrounded by ancient walls of great historical and religious importance: from Herod, Emperor Hadrian, Constantine, Omar the Califf, Goffred of Bouillon, Suleiman the Magnificent up to the pilgrims of today. The aim is to allow the visitors to experience Jerusalem in person.
The first stone was laid last year by the Custos of the Holy Land, Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa and this year the first section becomes a reality. Other two sections of the museum, the archeological and the historical ones, will be completed in 2018.
Hopefully such an innovative project will be able to show the strong connection between the Christians and this land, explaining why it is so important for them to remain in Jerusalem and in the Holy Land. As a consequence the hope is that it may help in the dialogue with the other cultures and religions present in this area.
For the above reasons the Custody of the Holy Land is the main promoter of the project, in collaboration with the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum and the Association pro Terra Sancta.
Special thanks go to all the partners of the project for the content management and those working for the restoration of structures and mounting.
Thanks also to the many supporters, both donors and friends, who founded the project. The other two sections are under construction though and much more help is needed.
