Custody of the Holy Land
| Custodia Terræ Sanctæ | |
Coat of arms of the Custody of the Holy Land.
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| Formation | 1217 |
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| Founder | Saint Francis of Assisi |
| Founded at | Porziuncola, Assisi, Umbria |
| Headquarters | Monastery of Saint Saviour |
| Location | |
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Region
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Holy Land; Middle East |
| Very Rev. Father Francesco Patton | |
| Frater Dobromir Jasztal | |
| Frater Sergio Galdi | |
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Parent organization
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Order of Friars Minor |
| Affiliations |
Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem Order of the Holy Sepulchre Catholic Church |
| Mission | "The grace of the Holy Places" |
| Website | www |
The Custody of the Holy Land (Latin: Custodia Terræ Sanctæ) is a custodian priory of the Franciscan order in Jerusalem, founded as Province of the Holy Land in 1217 by Saint Francis of Assisi, who also founded the Franciscan Order. Its mission is to "the grace of the Holy Places" of the Holy Land and the rest of the Middle East, "sanctified by the presence of Jesus", as well as pilgrims visiting them, on behalf of the Catholic Church. The Custodial Curia was led by Custos Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa since 2004, with the approval of the Holy See; since 2016, the chief custodian is Francesco Patton. Its headquarters are located in the Monastery of Saint Saviour, a 16th-century Franciscan monastery near the New Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem.
The Franciscan presence in the Holy Land traces back to 1217 with Frater Elias of Cortona as Minister. By 1229, the friars had a small house near the fifth station of the Via Dolorosa. In 1272, Sultan Baibars of Egypt permitted the Franciscans to settle in the Cenacle on Mount Zion. The Custodian subsequently came to be described as the "Guardian of Mount Zion in Jerusalem". From 1309 settling in Bethlehem and the Holy Sepulchre along with the Canons Regular, in 1342 they were officially declared custodians of the Holy Places in the name of the Catholic Church by the Papal bulls Gratiam agimus and Nuper charissimae by Pope Clement VI.
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