Franciscan Order in the Holy Land

But only the Order of the Franciscans earned the right to be called the Keepers of the Holy Land, and its founder, Francis of Assisi, wore the stigmata from the wounds of Jesus on his body …

The stay of the Franciscans in the Holy Land has a long history, but the planned construction of the Order of churches in places revered by tradition, began only in the twentieth century and the construction of most of them is associated with the activities of the outstanding Italian architect Antonio Barluzzi.

Antonio Barluzzi (1884 – 1960) came from a deeply religious Catholic family, hereditary ties associated with the service in the Vatican. After graduating from the School of Engineering of the University of Rome, he, along with his brother Giulio, was invited in 1912 to work in Jerusalem to design an Italian hospital. With the outbreak of World War I, a military engineer, Lieutenant Antonio Barluzzi, was sent to the Palestinian Expeditionary Force. Continue reading →