Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America — Attraction in Washington

We happened to visiting DC and found this in a search of things to do. I didn’t realized until we arrived that this beautiful place is a collection of reproduced sacred sites from the Holy Land and elsewhere.

We arrived just in time for a tour that both took us around the church as well as into the tunnels beneath that contain the reproduced shrines. Some of the things you will see are the Roman catacombs, Chapels of St. Cecilia and St. Sebastian with stairs that “lead up to” where would have been a Roman Colosseum, replica shrine of Jesus’s birthplace & where His manger would have been and replica of His tomb. The church is amazing. The scene/mural of the crucifixion is almost life size and makes you feel like you are there. Our guide said that during Easter, Jesus is taken off the cross, prepared with anointing oils, wrapped in cloth, and then placed in the tomb. The various chapels and art is more than can be appreciated in the short time the tour allows for, but time is given at the end to explore the church.

The outside gardens are amazing. There is a stations of the cross through the gardens, replicas of the Lourdes Grotto, Grotto of Gethsemane, Tomb of the Virgin, and so much more. Surrounding the front is a Rosary Portico with 15 chapels that commemorate the mysteries of the rosary. In each chapel are various placards that have the ‘Hail Mary’ in 150 various current and past languages. We spent about 2 hours here and it felt rushed. Could have easily spent longer here taking it all in. A beautiful place and we are grateful for Father Shilling for having brought this vision to life and to the Franciscans sharing...

I saw the monastery for the first time when I was there with the Ron Freeman Chorale to sing musical portions of the Good Friday western service on a balcony above the nave. The acoustics were spectacular. The layout of the church and its chapels is cross shaped and in one part of the nave is a replica of the Holy Sepulcher. Even before you enter their sacred space, the areas outside have beautiful porticoes in the Italian style. I was in several hallways where I enjoyed beautiful small and large art glass in odd locations and interesting pieces of Roman Catholic art like Germanic wood carvings, needlework, stonework and other lovely expressions of devotion. I saw a few monks hither and yon. After the service which we could not see from our perspective but in which we participated with music, we saw all sorts of people in the church spaces below in long lines to visit the replica of the Holy Sepulcher which thankfully I had visited with another chorister before going to an upstairs balcony. Before the service, we ere able to practice some of our repertoire in an astounding room with a piano in the center surrounded by monk's stadii, i.e. carved chairs in which you can stand, lean on arms, or sit for hours as appropriate to the service. I didn't even know they normally existed in the western churches until this visit. I look forward to visiting again and being a part of next year's concert as long as it doesn't conflict with the Julian calendar. I think this would be an appropriate place to bring children on a visit to enjoy and explain the architecture. It is handicap accessible via entrances...

+JMJ One of two of my favorite Roman Catholic Churches to visit in the DC area. During my USNavy days, 1987-1989, traveled here with friends on sort of a mini-pilgrimage from Norfork, VA to Washington DC. And, even after moving to Richmond, VA, traveling to visit this spiritual oasis, was an eagerly anticipated, almost monthly pilgrimage from 1990 until I moved to AZ in 2013. This Church and Monastery, home of the religious order of Franciscans, custodians of Holy Land Churches, is a most excellent place for tranquil, scenic and even quiet strolls through the grounds of their beautifully maintained rose and other floral gardens. The Rosary Walk is extraordinary in that there are exquisite depictions of the life of Christ done in mosaics. And, to display the universality of the Catholic Church, the Lord's Prayer and the Hail Mary are inscribed on marble(?) tablets translated in to many, many languages from through the world. The outdoor depiction of the Stations of the Cross lends itself to profound meditation upon the sacrificial Passion of Jesus Christ, God and Man, Saviour of Mankind. Additionally, there are several replicas of points of Holy Land interest on the grounds, in addition to a replica of the world renown Grotto of Lourdes, France. The Church's interior is very beautiful and does what a Church is intended to do, take you mind, body, and soul from worldly thoughts to Heavenly contemplation. I loved every visit here and as much as I love living in AZ, I truly miss my opportunities to visit here. Hope those who read this review enjoy my photos. God bless...