Large groups of pilgrims began coming
to the Holy Land in 1882 under the direction of
French Assumptionists. The experience gained from these pilgrimages prompted the
religious to build a center for French pilgrims similar to
the one on Jaffa Road for Russian pilgrims. The location
of the new center would be right next to the
Holy City.
A Planning Committee was quickly set up. The Count
of Piellat, who had been searching for a plot of
land in Jerusalem on behalf of religious communities, found a
4,000 square meters of land right next to the French
Hospital of St. Louis des Français. Thanks to the help
of generous benefactors, the Assumptionists were able to acquire this
property, and preparations began under the direction of Father Germer-Durand,
A.A. The cornerstone was officially laid on June 10th, 1885.
With the generous aid of thousands of French pilgrims and
numerous donors, the complex was completed according to Abbé Brisacier’s
original plan, harmoniously combining architectural sobriety, a contemporary style, and
an arabesque influence.
In 1886, Monseigneur Poyet of Lyons, the
Vicar General of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, proposed the
name for the new building: “Notre Dame de France.”
In 1888,
Notre Dame received its first pilgrims. The cornerstone of the
chapel was laid during the Eucharistic World Congress of 1893,
and the chapel was consecrated in 1894. In 1904, after
twenty years of ongoing construction, the house was completed and
crowned with the great statue of the Virgin Mary, a
replica of Our Lady of Salvation in Paris.
Notre Dame de
France Pilgrim Center met the requirements for the new types
of large pilgrimages in which 500 pilgrims would arrive and
depart at the same time on special ships equipped with
chapels. At Notre Dame de France, the pilgrims found accommodations
commensurate with their numbers. The Assumptionists assisted them spiritually and
served as guides as they visited the Holy Places.
The
great success of this spiritual undertaking was recognized by the
civil authorities who granted the institution numerous privileges embodied in
the Treaties of Mytyléne (1901) and Constantinople (1913), and later
confirmed by the State of Israel in the Chauvel/Fischer Exchange
of Letters (1948-49).
Until the First World War, the building also
served as a seminary for future Assumptionists. The scientific research
and the publications of its staff gave it an excellent
reputation. Particularly famous was its museum which, unfortunately, was almost
completely destroyed in subsequent outbreaks of hostility.
After the Second
World War, the building was heavily damaged during the Israeli
– Arab conflict of 1948. The south wing, facing the
Old City, became uninhabitable as a result of the explosion
of two bombs, and became an Israeli guard post. The
north wing and the small houses in the garden were
occupied by numerous refugees. The Assumptionists lived in the central
wing next to the chapel and continued their mission, offering
their traditional hospitality to greatly reduced numbers of faithful pilgrims.
Even after the borders were reopened, the situation did not
improve. Maintenance costs became prohibitive because the remaining religious could
no longer depend on outside help. The situation having become
untenable, the center was eventually turned over to the Holy
See on March 2nd, 1972 and restored to its original
status as a pilgrim center.
The reconstruction and rehabilitation
of the Notre Dame center was a project very dear
to Pope Paul VI. Professor Frank Montana, an architect from
Notre Dame University in Indiana, USA, planned the reconstruction and
enlargement of the main edifice. Mr. Joseph Khoury, an engineer
from Jerusalem, carried out the actual construction process, and Abraham
Suchovolsky of Tel Aviv assisted in the resolution of legal
difficulties. The project was possible largely because of the financial
assistance of Catholics from the United States of America.
And so,
starting in 1973, Notre Dame of Jerusalem was gradually resurrected
as the Holy See’s international pilgrim center. On December 27th,
1978, the heads of the seven Catholic rites represented in
Jerusalem, the Apostolic Delegate, and the Chargé of the Holy
See for the Notre Dame Center, gathered in Jerusalem for
a special event: His Eminence Cardinal Terence J. Cooke, Archbishop
of New York, officially promulgated the decree signed by Pope
John Paul II which established the center as a Pontifical
Institute and an ecumenical holy place.
Archchbishop Cooke also rededicated the
chapel and restored it to public worship. Finally, on February
2nd, 1981 the Holy See published the Statutes of the
Pontifical Institute to furnish a solid basis for the center’s
functioning.
In 1978, Monsignor Mathes was assigned by the Holy See
as Chargé of the Notre Dame Center, and remained in
this office for 20 years. He was a very reconciling
man who loved the Palestinian people and was very committed
to help them in any way he could.
In December
of 1987, the first so-called Intifada (in English: uprising) broke
out and lasted until the end of the year 1990.
It had very severe effects on the social and political
situation of the country and particularly for the pilgrimages in
the Holy Land. In addition, the Golf War in January
1991 caused a great shortage in pilgrimages coming to the
Holy Land. August 1991 saw a slow recovery of the
situation.
During these years, Monsignor Mathes made an extraordinary
effort to support the suffering population. In 1988, he started
up an initiative to create a hospitality college which would
assure a future to Palestinian youth. During the worst and
most dangerous moments of the Intifada, he opened the doors
of Notre Dame Center to offer accommodations to many families.
As the situation grew worse, Monsignor Mathes managed to finance
a great part of the salaries of the staff of
Notre Dame with the help of donations from abroad. Because
of these efforts, the staff did not have to be
reduced and the employees were able to receive their salaries
during those difficult years. All who knew him remember him
as a man who was always available for others, with
an open ear and an open heart for all.
After
the Intifada and the Golf War of 1991, the situation
became more stable and Notre Dame was able to function
normally again.
In 1998, Don Aldo Tolotto was assigned as the
new Chargé for the Notre Dame Center. He made a
very positive contribution with renovations in the center and was
frequently seen working together with the employees to keep Notre
Dame of Jerusalem in good condition.
Difficult years started when
the second Intifada broke out on September 28th, 2000 and
the occupancy of the Notre Dame Center dropped drastically. On
September 1st, 2001, the Notre Dame Center had to be
closed. It reopened its doors for groups again at the
end of March 2002. During the following years the directive
team of Notre Dame had to struggle with low numbers
of groups visiting the Holy Land. But there were loyal
promoters of pilgrimages who even in those unstable years would
come each year with their groups. In 2004, a slow
recovery began.
On November 26th, 2004 Pope John Paul II entrusted
the Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center to the Legionaries of
Christ with a Motu Proprio.
His words were: “In
order to ensure the stability and continuity of the Pontifical
Institute ‘Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center,’ we have considered it
fitting to entrust it to the care and direction of
the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ.” Fr. Juan María
Solana, LC, was assigned as the new Chargé.
The priests
of the Legionaries or Christ are supported in their mission
by an international apostolic movement for laypeople, Regnum Christi, which
shares their same spirituality and apostolic charisma at the service
of the Church. It is formed by young people and
adults, deacons and priests and counts on members in more
then 45 countries. Its mission could be summed up: Love
Christ, Serve People, Build the Church – forming a society
of Christian justice and charity.
At present, the “Notre Dame
of Jerusalem Center” has the following sections:
Ø A guest house
for religious and pilgrims which also serves as an ecumenical
and pastoral center for Jerusalem Christians, thus promoting the encounter
between the local and universal Church;
Ø A professional promotion
center for local Palestinian youth;
Ø A permanent exhibition “Who
is the Man of the Shroud?” on the Shroud of
Turin.
Moreover, several ecclesiastical offices and bureaus are accommodated in the
center, which also organizes and gives pastoral care to pilgrims
from every country in the world. Its ecumenical character is
assured by its establishment as a Prelatura nullius.
By all of these means, the Notre Dame of Jerusalem
Center intends to fulfill the mission entrusted to it by
Pope John Paul II, who stated in his Decree, “We
dedicate this Center to Our Lady of Jerusalem, Regina Pacis
(Queen of Peace), and offer it to the world as
a place of fruitful spiritual development.”
