To The Holy Sepulcher

The Custodia di Terra Sancta is a branch of the Franciscan order, established by the pope in 1342 to safeguard the church of the Holy Sepulcher and other holy sites in the Middle East. Over the course of centuries, Christian heads of state from across the Western world sent symbolic gifts to the Holy Sepulcher and other holy sites via the Franciscans of the Custodia. The objects, which range in date from the late Middle Ages to the 20th century, represent the extraordinary survival of different kinds of objects that all too often have been lost to history. Highlights of the Terra Sancta Museum’s collection include more than 60 pieces of goldsmith and silversmith work and textiles that date from the 16th to the 18th centuries. Among these are chalices and candlesticks in gold and silver and opulent liturgical vestments that were sumptuous gifts from the French and Spanish kings.

Accompanies a major exhibition at the Frick Collection, New York, October 1–January 5.

Xavier F. Salomon with Benoît Constensoux and Jacques Charles-Gaffiot
With Marie-Armelle Beaulieu, Alvar González-Palacios, Maria Pia Pettinau Vescina, Béatrix Saule and Danièle Véron-Denise

Xavier F. Salomon is deputy director and Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator, The Frick Collection, New York

Benoît Constensoux is an art historian of Galerie Kugel in Paris and a member of the Scientific Committee of the Terra Sancta Museum

Jacques Charles-Gaffiot is an art historian and iconography expert

Marie-Armelle Beaulieu is the editor-in-chief of Terre Sainte Magazine

Alvar González-Palacios is an art historian who has written numerous books on Italian and French decorative arts

Maria Pia Pettinau Vescina is an art historian and ancient textiles expert, as well as a member of the Scientific Committee of the Terra Sancta Museum

Danièle Véron-Denise is a specialist on liturgical and secular embroidery and former curator at the Château de Fontainebleau Museum, as well as a member of the Scientific Committee of the Terra Sancta Museum

Table of Contents

• Forewords
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction by Xavier F. Salomon
• The Gold of Jerusalem by Alvar González-Palacios
• Franciscans in the Holy Land: Preserving the Christian Community, Its Holy Places, and Its Cultural Heritage by Marie-Armelle Beaulieu
• The Commission of the Objects: The Creation and History of the Custody’s Collections by Benoît Constensoux
• In the Earthly City of Emmanuel: The Liturgy of Heaven Dwells among Mankind by Jacques Charles-Gaffiot
• From Treasure to Museum: Witnesses to the Christian Presence in Jerusalem by Béatrix Saule
• Catalogue
  Introduction
  Kingdom of France
  Holy Roman Empire
  Kingdom of Spain
  Kingdom of Portugal
  Kingdom of Naples
  Republic of Venice
  Republic of Genoa
• Glossary by Jacques Charles-Gaffiot
• About the Authors
• Bibliography
• Image Credits
• Index