Latin:Custodia Terræ Sanctæ | |
 Coat of arms of the Custody of the Holy Land | |
| Formation | 1217 (1217) |
|---|---|
| Founder | Saint Francis of Assisi |
| Founded at | Porziuncola,Assisi, Umbria |
| Purpose | "The grace of theHoly Places" |
| Headquarters | Monastery of Saint Saviour |
| Location | |
Region | Holy Land; Middle East |
| Services | Fathers of the Holy Sepulchre |
| Father Francesco Lelpo (2025-)[1] | |
| FatherDobromir Jasztal (2013–2022) | |
General Secretary | FatherMarco Carrara |
Parent organization | Order of Friars Minor |
| Affiliations | Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem Order of the Holy Sepulchre |
| Website | www |
TheCustody of the Holy Land (Latin:Custodia Terræ Sanctæ) is acustodianpriory of theOrder of Friars Minor inJerusalem, founded as theProvince of the Holy Land in 1217 bySaint Francis of Assisi, who had also founded theFranciscan Order in 1209. In 1342, the Franciscans were declared by twopapal bulls as the official custodians of the Holy Places in the name of the Catholic Church.[2]
The Custody headquarters are located in theMonastery of Saint Saviour, a 16th-century Franciscanmonastery near theNew Gate in theOld City of Jerusalem. The office can bestow—only to those entering its office—theJerusalem Pilgrim's Cross upon deserving Catholic visitors to the city.[citation needed]
The Franciscans trace their presence in the Holy Land to 1217. By 1229, the friars had a small house near thefifth station of theVia Dolorosa and in 1272 were permitted to settle in theCenacle onMount Zion. In 1309 they also settled inBethlehem and theHoly Sepulchre along with theCanons Regular.
After the finalfall of thesecond Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1291, the title ofLatin Patriarch of Jerusalem was vested in the Custodyex officio inRome, while resuming its activities in the Holy Land, including surveilling theaccolades of theOrder of the Holy Sepulchre 1342–1489 until itsGrand Magistry was vested in thepapacy. Following the restoration of theLatin Patriarchate of Jerusalem as residentialepiscopal see in 1847, the Patriarch henceforth additionally assumed the position of the order's ecclesiastical superior, eventually supplanting the Custody of the Holy land asGrand Prior of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.
The Custody of the Holy Land has repeatedly expressed concern about the survival of theChristians in the Holy Land, including the strained situation forChristians in the rest of the Middle East.[3] Between 2004 and 2016, theCustodialCuria was led byCustos Fr.Pierbattista Pizzaballa.[4][5]Francesco Patton was appointed as Father Custos of the Holy Land in 2016, and he was reconfirmed in 2022.[6] He was followed in 2025 by Francesco Ielpo.[1]
The mission of the Custody of the Holy Land is toguard "the grace of theHoly Places" of theHoly Land and the rest of the Middle East, "sanctified by the presence ofJesus",[7] as well aspilgrims visiting them, on behalf of theCatholic Church.[8][9]
An online history,The Franciscan Presence in the Holy Land, has been prepared by the Custodian Emeritus (laterLatin Patriarch of Jerusalem),Pierbattista Pizzaballa, OFM.
The Franciscan presence in the Holy Land started in 1217, when the province ofSyria was established, with Frater (Brother)Elias of Cortona asMinister. By 1229, the friars had a small house near thefifth station of theVia Dolorosa. In 1272 theSultanBaibars ofEgypt permitted the Franciscans to settle in theCenacle (also called the Upper Room) onMount Sion. Later on, in 1309, they also settled inBethlehem and in theHoly Sepulchre, along with theCanons Regular.
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In 1333,Robert d'Anjou,King of Naples, and his wife,Sancia of Majorca, bought the Cenacle from the Sultan of Egypt and gave it to the Franciscans. In 1342,Pope Clement VI, by thePapal bullsGratiam agimus andNuper charissimae declared the Franciscans as the official custodians of the Holy Places in the name of the Catholic Church.[11][2] A portion reads:
A short time ago good news from the king and queen reached our Apostolic See relating that, at great cost and following difficult negotiations, they had obtained a concession from the Sultan of Babylon [that is, Cairo], who to the intense shame of Christians occupies the Holy Sepulchre of the Lord and the other Holy Places beyond the sea that were sanctified by the blood of this same Redeemer, to wit that friars of your Order may reside continuously in the church known as the Sepulchre and celebrate there Solemn Sung Masses and the Divine Office in the manner of the several friars of this Order who are already present in this place; moreover, this same Sultan has also conceded to the King and Queen the Cenacle of the Lord, the chapel where the Holy Spirit was manifested to the Apostles and the other chapel in which Christ appeared to the Apostles after his resurrection, in the presence of Blessed Thomas; and also the news of how the Queen built a convent on Mount Zion where, as is known, the Cenacle and the said chapels are located; where for some time she has had the intention of supporting twelve friars of your Order to assure the divine Liturgy in the church of the Holy Sepulchre, along with three laymen charged with serving the friars and seeing to their needs.[12]
The Custodian was described as the "Guardian of Mount Zion in Jerusalem". Between 1342 and 1489, the Custodian was the head of theOrder of the Holy Sepulchre and held theex officio title ofLatin Patriarch of Jerusalem. From 1374, he was based at theBasilica di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura in Rome.
In 1489, PopeInnocent VIII suppressed the Order of the Holy Sepulchre and ruled that it was to be merged with theKnights Hospitaller. In 1496, PopeAlexander VI, restored the Order of Holy Sepulchre to independent status, but the Custodian ceased to be the head of the Order. Instead, aGrand Master of the Order was created, and the office vested in the papacy. The Custodian continued to act as the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalemex officio until 1830, and by being appointed to both offices until 1905. The office of Grand Master remained vested in the papacy until 1949.[13] On 29 August 2011, ArchbishopEdwin Frederick O'Brien was appointed byPope Benedict XVI Grand Master to succeed CardinalJohn Patrick Foley, who resigned the office on 24 February 2011 due to ill health. The Order is a member of many international bodies and has observer status at others (such as the United Nations). The Grand Master is a papalviceroy who assists Vatican diplomacy with procedural support for making motions, proposing amendments and requiring votes in the sphere of international diplomacy.
Franciscan friars cared for the Cenacle, restoring also the building withGothic vaults, until theOttoman Empire captured Jerusalem and banished all Christians. After the Franciscan friars' eviction, the Cenacle was transformed into a mosque. Christians were not allowed to use the room for prayer until the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.
In 1623, the Latin Province of the Holy Land was split into a number of smaller entities, called Custodies – creating Custodies of Cyprus, Syria, and the Holy Land proper. The Custody of the Holy Land included the monasteries ofSaint-Jean-d'Acre,Antioch,Sidon,Tyre,Jerusalem andJaffa.
In 1847, a resident Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem was restored in the Holy Land, together with the Order of the Holy Sepulchre. The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem became the ecclesiastical superior of the Order, and eventually assumed the title Grand Prior, supplanting the Custodian. The office of Grand Master still remained vested in the papacy.
During the difficult years of theGreat War, many friars belonging to the enemy nations fighting against the Ottomans and Germans were deported.[14] In 1917, when the Italian friars were just about to be sent away, reprieve came in the last minute, which was attributed to thetriduum celebrated that year in honour of StAnthony of Padua, a saint venerated for his miracles.[14] Consequently, in 1920, St Anthony was chosen as thepatron saint of the Custody.[14]
In 1937,Alberto Gori was appointed Custodian of the Holy Land, an office he would occupy until 1949, when he was appointed Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, an office he held until 1970. In Gori's reports to the Vatican in the 1940s, he was critical of Jewish and later Israeli forces, whom he accused of destruction of holy places.[15] Despite repeated Israeli assurances that Israel will guaranteefreedom of religion and safeguard the Holy Places of all religions, PopePius XII issued several encyclicals expressing concerns about the holy places as well as access.[16] In 1949, at the time of appointing Gori to the office of Latin Patriarch, Pius XII also relinquished the title of Grand Master.[17]
On 15 May 2004, Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa was appointed Custodian of the Holy Land,[18] succeedingGiovanni Battistelli, who held the office for six years.[4][5] On Friday, 28 June 2013,Pope Francis confirmed that he would continue as Custodian for at least a further three years.[19] Pierbattista Pizzaballa was born inCologno al Serio, Italy, on 21 April 1965. He was ordained a priest in September 1990. Starting from 2016, the chief custodian has been Francesco Patton.[6] In 2025, Francesco Ielpo was appointed as his follower.[1]
The Custodian of the Holy Land, also called the International Custodian of the Holy Land, is appointed by the General Definitorium of theOrder of Friars Minor (OFM) of the Franciscans and approved by the Pope and theHoly See.[5]
The Custodian has the role of Minister Provincial (i.e. major superior) of theFranciscans living in Israel,Palestine,Jordan,Syria,Lebanon, parts ofEgypt,Cyprus andRhodes.[20]
The Custody has about 300 friars and about 100 sisters in these countries. The Franciscans serve the principal Christian shrines, including theChurch of the Holy Sepulchre inJerusalem,Basilica of the Nativity inBethlehem and theBasilica of the Annunciation inNazareth.[20]
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The Franciscan order owns a great deal of property in the Holy Land, second only to theOrthodox Church of Jerusalem. In addition to the major shrines of theChurch of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and theBasilica of the Nativity inBethlehem, which the Franciscansown and administer in common with the Jerusalem Orthodox andArmenian Orthodox patriarchates, the Custodian also cares for 74 shrines and sanctuaries throughout the Holy Land, including properties in Syria and Jordan.[21]
In 1909, in the territory of theLatin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, re-instituted in 1847, the Franciscans had 24 convents and 15 parishes, including numerous schools.[22]
The Custodian's offices are at theMonastery of St Saviour, a 16th-century Franciscan monastery nearNew Gate in theOld City of Jerusalem.
During the later Middle Ages and early modern times, the Custody was official provider of hospitality for Latin pilgrims to the Holy Land, i.e. Westerners be they Catholic or Protestant. Such facilities existed primarily atJaffa and in Jerusalem.[dubious –discuss][citation needed]
The Custody runs the Christian Information Centre (C.I.C.), established in 1973, which provides Christian pilgrims of various denominations with relevant information.[23]
Schools founded by the Franciscan friars includeTerra Santa College in Nicosia, Cyprus and Magnificat Institute in Jerusalem.
TheFranciscan Archaeological Institute onMount Nebo in Jordan and theStudium Biblicum Franciscanum in Jerusalem are listed on the homepage of the Custody, without any further details regarding the type of relationship between them (seehere).
The Custody has a communications department in charge of the official media in the Holy Land, which is based at theTerra Sancta College in Jerusalem and includes a multimedia centre broadcasting news programmes in different languages, and the editorial office of the Christian Media Center and of the French-languageTerre Sainte Magazine.[24]
(La) Terre Sainte/Terra Santa is a magazine first published by the Franciscan Printing Press under the supervision of Custos Diotallevi in 1921 in Italian, French and Spanish and since then in several other languages, such as English asThe Holy Land Review since 1975.[25]The Holy Land Review and the content of the TerraSanta.net platform are not officially published by the Custody and do not necessarily express its viewpoint.[26]
The Custody has long strived to own and operate its own printing press, but was only able to do so in 1847.[27] The machinery was installed atSaint Savior's Monastery in Jerusalem and produced that very year a few small-scale school materials in Arabic, and its first proper book, a bilingual Italian-Arabiccatechism, these being the first books ever printed in Arabic in Palestine.[27] This "Franciscan print room" later became theFranciscan Printing Press (FPP),[28] which today has its headquarters on the eastern side of theMount of Olives inBetphage.[28]
In 2005, the FPP has become part ofTS Edizioni,[28] where TS stands for Terra Santa. TS Edizioni was established in 2005, is part of the Fondazione Terra Santa, and operates, in Italy, as the publishing centre of the Custody of the Holy Land.[26] It combines the tradition of two Franciscan Holy Land-related institutions, the FPP in Jerusalem, and the Centro propaganda e stampa founded in the 1910s in Milan.[26] TS acts under the patronage of the Custody and co-publishes the institutional collections.[29]
The FPP has enabled the publication in several languages of the research done by the Jerusalem-basedStudium Biblicum Franciscanum.[26] Today, the FPP serves the printing needs of the Custody as well as of local publications.[26]
Fr. Pizzaballa expressed concern that many Christians were leaving the region, especially theChristians of the Palestinian Territories, and that housing assistance was being offered to discourage emigration. He attributed the exodus to lack of prospects for the future and the political situation.[5]
In 2011, theCatholic News Service (CNS) website aired an interview onVatican Radio in which Father Pizzaballa alluded to the tense situation for Christians in Syria and Egypt.[3]
The order manages 50-55 "sanctuaries" across the region.[30][31] Most of these churches were built in the 19th and 20th centuries, and a significant number were designed byAntonio Barluzzi.
13th century
14th century
15th century
16th century
17th century
18th century
19th century
20th century
21st century
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)The Custody of the Holy Land has the task of guarding 55 sanctuaries, which are located in the current borders of Israel, Palestine, Jordan.
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