The Franciscan Monastery San Salvatore

Behind the gates of the Franciscan Monastery San Salvatore, “the holy savior”, is a spacious compound. This is the center of the Franciscan order in the Holy Land and in the entire Middle East. The Franciscan order was established in the 13^th century by Francis of Assisi, who preached for a simple life, poverty and charity. Ever since 1219, when Francis visited the Holy Land, the Franciscan monks have been following his trail, holding on to the holy sites despite difficult conditions and a hostile Muslim rule. Thanks to their persistence, which continued even after the fall of the crusader kingdom, the Franciscans were appointed by the pope in the 14^th century as custodians of the Holy Land,”Custodia Terra Sancta”- preservers of the Catholics’ interests in the east. The Franciscans have remained on this site since the 16^th century, after being expelled by the Muslim rulers of Jerusalem from their abode in Mount Zion. The keystone at the gate of the monastery bears the symbol of “Custodia Terra Sancta”; The Franciscans adopted the cross of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem as their symbol- a big cross with 4 smaller crosses at its corners. Two crossed arms appear on the order’s symbol, bearing the cross- a bare arm and an arm covered with a sleeve, beneath a pigeon which symbolized the holy ghost. The bare hand is the hand of Jesus, and the sleeved hand is the hand of Francis of Assisi, the Italian founder of the order. Their main mission for hundreds of years has been to host the Catholic pilgrims and assure their wellbeing. The Franciscans established and ran monasteries in the Holy Land, even under difficult conditions and a hostile Muslim rule. Their strength in Europe enabled them to advance progress in the Holy Land in the fields of medicine, work methods and production, as well as research of the history and geography of the land of Israel and the holy scripts. The monastery is a wide compound housing their publishing house, as well as the conservatory, workshops and of course the offices of the Custodia Terra Sancta. The entrance to the monastery’s compound is prohibited, but you can visit the beautiful monastic church whose construction was completed in the 19^th century. In order to enter the church, you need to enter the compound and then turn left towards the stair case. The stair case eventually leads to the monastic church. This is an impressive and beautiful church, with altars along the walls and also indications of the 14 stations of the Via Dolorosa, the Way of Grief that Jesus walked, from the place where he was sentenced to the location of the crucifixion. This identification of the stations upon the church’ walls is accepted and common in Catholic Churches. The church was inaugurated in 1885 and is dedicated to St. Francis, the founder of the order. It is designed in the basilica model: a longitudinal model that ends in a round alcove known as “apsis”. The Franciscan monks wear sandals and a brown mantle, tied with a rope at their stomach, with 3 knots that symbolize the monk’s 3 vows: poverty, chastity and obedience.