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The Custody of the Holy Land is a special and international Mission to the Catholic Church, a part of the Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans). The Franciscans arrived in the Holy Land in the thirteenth century, and from 1342 have a mandate to preserve and serve the Holy Places on behalf of the Catholic Church. In addition to the care of shrines and assistance to pilgrims, the Franciscans have developed many activities for the benefit of local people, primary in support of the Christian community, but not exclusively. The Custody of the Holy Land is also a diplomatic entity recognized by many countries and institutions.
The Terra Sancta Organ Festival is a cultural activity in which the Custody of the Holy Land allows everyone to enjoy the beauty of its pipe organs, an asset that would otherwise be restricted to Latin Catholics in their liturgies.
Custody of the Holy Land
Magnificat Institute
Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America
Christian
Media Center
Christian
Information Centre
Pro Terra Sancta
The Custos of The Holy Land:
Fr. Francesco Patton
The Discretorium of the Custody of the Holy Land
Fr. Alberto Pari
Fr. Tony Chouchri
Br. Riccardo
Eugenio Maria Fagiani
Rocco Giansante
Fr. Gianfranco Pinto Ostuni (Holy Land)
Geries Juma (Nazareth)
Franco Sciorilli (Jordan)
Naim Zabita (Damascus)
Chris Paraskevopoulos (Artistic director of Organ & Music Festival Rhodes)
Missak Baghboudarian (Syrian National Symphony Orchestra and Damascus Higher Institute of Music)
Fr. Khalil Rahme (Notre Dame University – Lebanon)
André Maalouli (Damascus Opera House)
Yuval Rabin (Haifa Pipe Organ Season)
Maria Grazia Chichi
Pietro Paolo Arlotti
Morgane Afnaim
Beatrice Galluzzo
Alessia Biella
Fr. Jerzy Kraj
Cristiano Assuncao
Miriam Bianchi
Tommaso Saltini
Carla Benelli
Clara Borio
Fr. Alberto Pari
Beatrice Guarrera
Filippo De Grazia
Bethlehem: Fr. Jago Soce
Jerusalem: Fr. Fergus Clarke
Nazareth: Fr. George Lewett
Cairo: Fr. Vincenzo Mistrih
Franciscan monastery of the Holy Land in America
Italian Institute of Culture – Tel Aviv
Italian Institute of Culture – Haifa
Italian Institute of Culture – Beirut
Italian Institute of Culture – Athens
Romanian Cultural Institute – Tel Aviv
Czech Center – Tel Aviv
Embassy of Italy in Amman
Embassy of Italy in Beirut
Embassy of Spain in Beirut
Embassy of Germany in Beirut
Embassy of Hungary in Tel Aviv
Representative Office of Hungary in Ramallah
Technical sponsors:
Noursat / Telelumiere
Saverio Anselmi Tamburini – Technical Sponsor (Rhodes, Cyprus, Lebanon)
Roberto Curletto – Technical Sponsor (Syria and Egypt)
Italian Institute of Culture – Tel Aviv
Italian Institute of Culture – Haifa
Czech House Jerusalem
Embassy of Italy in Nicosia
Italian Institute of Culture in Beirut
Embassy of Switzerland in Lebanon
Embassy of the Czech Republic in Lebanon
Franciscan monastery of the Holy Land in America
Embassy of Italy in Amman
Embassy of Austria in Lebanon
Embassy of Germany in Lebanon
Technical sponsors:
Noursat / Telelumiere
Saverio Anselmi Tamburini – Technical Sponsor (Rhodes, Cyprus, Lebanon)
Roberto Curletto – Technical Sponsor (Syria and Egypt)
Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America
Embassy of Italy in Amman
Embassy of Italy in Israel
Embassy of Italy in Athens
Embassy of Hungary in Tel Aviv
Representative Office of Hungary in Ramallah
Embassy of Austria in Beirut
Embassy of Italy in Beirut
Embassy of Poland in Beirut
Embassy of Belgium in Lebanon
Embassy of Italy in Nicosia
Italian Institute of Culture in Athens
Italian Institute of Culture in Tel Aviv |
Romanian Cultural Institute in Tel Aviv
Italian Institute of Culture in Beirut
Foundation of the Finnish Institute in the Middle East
Phoenicia Foundation of St. Charbel (Lebanon)
Institut Français Beirut
Foundation Marc-Henry Mainguy – Beirut
Higher Institute of Music Damascus
Syrian National Symphony Orchestra
Notre Dame University of Lebanon
Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra
ZR Group – Teddy Rahmeh – Beirut
ATS Pro Terra Sancta
Associazione Romano Gelmini per i popoli della Terra Santa
Saverio Anselmi Tamburini – Technical Sponsor
Roberto Curletto – Technical Sponsor
Ettore Soranzo
THANKS TO
Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America
Embassy of Italy in Amman
Embassy of Italy in Nicosia
Embassy of Hungary in Beirut
Embassy of Spain in Beirut
General Consulate of Spain in Jerusalem /aeecid
Italian Institute of Culture in Tel Aviv
Italian Institute of Culture in Haifa
Italian Institute of Culture in Athens
Italian Institute of Culture in Beirut
Phoenicia Foundation of St. Charbel (Lebanon)
Institut Français Beirut
Foundation Marc-Henry Mainguy – Beirut
ZR Group – Teddy Rahmeh – Beirut
don Enrico Rabolini & Friends of Tradate Hospital Chapel
Pietro Paolo Arlotti and Grazia Chichi for “Gelmini Association”
Ettore Soranzo
Fr. Gianfranco Pinto Ostuni
Saverio Anselmi Tamburini – Technical Sponsor (Rhodes, Cyprus, Lebanon)
Nicola Puccini – Technical Sponsor (Jaffa, Emmaus, Jordan)
Roberto Curletto – Technical Sponsor (Syria and Egypt)
THANKS TO
Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America
Embassy of Italy in Nicosia (Cyprus)
Embassy of Italy in Amman (Jordan)
Embassy of Poland in Lebanon
Embassy of Spain in Lebanon
Embassy of Hungary in Tel Aviv
Representative Office of Hungary in Ramallah
Romanian Cultural Institute in Tel Aviv
Italian Cultural Institute in Haifa
Italian Cultural Institute in Tel Aviv
Italian Cultural Institute in Athens
Italian Cultural Institute in Beirut
Institut Français Beirut
Foundation Marc-Henry Mainguy – Beirut
ZR Group – Teddy Rahmeh – Beirut
Saverio Anselmi Tamburini – Technical Sponsor (Rhodes, Cyprus, Lebanon)
Nicola Puccini – Technical Sponsor (Jaffa, Emmaus, Jordan)
Roberto Curletto – Technical Sponsor (Syria and Egypt)
Meouchy & Zakaria Printing Press (Technical sponsor Lebanon)
THANKS TO
Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America
Embassy of Italy in Nicosia (Cyprus)
Embassy of Italy in Amman (Jordan)
Embassy of Switzerland in Lebanon
Embassy of Austria in Lebanon
Representative office of the Republic of Poland to Palestine
Italian Cultural Institute in Haifa
Italian Cultural Institute in Tel Aviv
Italian Cultural Institute in Athens
Italian Cultural Institute in Beirut
Austrian Cultural Forum in Tel Aviv
Institut français du Liban
Foundation Marc-Henry Mainguy – Beirut
Comune di Tradate
Saverio Anselmi Tamburini – Technical Sponsor (Rhodes, Larnaca, Lebanon)
Nicola Puccini – Technical Sponsor (Jaffa, Emmaus, Jordan)
THANKS TO
Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America
Embassy of Italy in Nicosia (Cyprus)
Embassy of Italy in Amman (Jordan)
Embassy of Croatia in Israel
Romanian Cultural Institute in Israel
Italian Cultural Institute in Tel Aviv
Italian Cultural Institute in Beirut
Institut français du Liban
Foundation Marc-Henry Mainguy – Beirut
Associazione Santo Sepolcro – Foligno
Nicola Puccini Bottega Organara – Pisa
Fabbrica d’Organi Comm. Giovanni Tamburini di Saverio Anselmi Tamburini – Crema
Comune di Tradate
The first edition of Terra Sancta Organ Festival was organized by relying on internal resources of the Custody of the Holy Land. It is our hope that many friends and sponsors will join us in supporting this initiative.
THANKS TO
Fr. Stanislaus Bertagnolli (AUT)
Fr. Werner Mertens (DEU)
Fr. Larry Dunham (USA)
Fr. Sebastian Laird-Hammon (USA)
For us it is important to mention as the first name of this page, the distinguished benefactor Fr. Stanislaus Bertagnolli (pictured), for many years Commissioner of the Holy Land in Austria and still today, full of energy and passion. Without Fr. Stanislaus this festival could not have not been imagined. Thanks to the work of Fr Stanislaus and the sensitivity of the Austrian people for the music, the churches of the Holy Land have been equipped with new and prestigious organs in Bethlehem, in the Church of Saint Savior and in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem: to these, we need to add the three organs of the Basilica of the Annunciation and of the Church of St. Joseph in Nazareth. We remember with emotion the day of the inauguration of the organs of the Nazareth when, on December 8, 2012, under the imperious gaze of the great organ in the upper basilica and in the presence of guests and of civil and religious authorities, Fr Stanislaus played a delicate tune with his simple harmonica. May the Lord bless Fr Stanislaus today and always.